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THE ELEMENTS OF MODERN DRESSMAKING 




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THE ELEMENTS 

OF 

MODERN DRESSMAKING 

FOR THE AMATEUR 

AND 

PROFESSIONAL DRESSMAKER 



JEANETTE E. DAVIS 

REVISED BY 

CORA M. HOLAHAN 





WITH NUMEROUS DIAGRAMS 



NEW YORK 

THE CASSELL PUBLISHING CO. 

31 East 17TH St. (Unio& Square) 



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Copyright, 1894, by 
THE CASSELL PUBLISHING CO. 

All rights reserved. 



THE MERSHON COMPANY PRESS, 
RAHWAY, N. J. 






PREFACE 



Dressmaking is an art admitting of many degrees of 
quality, but having one standard of perfection. It is 
not sufficient that a garment fit smoothly over the 
figure when standing or in any fixed position, it must 
comply with every movement, and adjusting itself to 
every turn and bend of the body, still retain a perfect 
contour, and be, above all things, perfectly comfortable 
to the wearer. 

To attain this requires, not only a natural liking and 
aptitude for sewing, a quick eye, and ready decision, 
but careful and thorough training, and the painstaking 
which results in profitable experience. 

Although all steps of dressmaking are of great im- 
portance, and the most careful preparation and com- 
pletion may be marred by a single fault, still, as in 
other undertakings, there are places in which the begin- 
ner is most likely to err, and to these the author has 
directed an especially careful notice. 

It is her particular aim, in the chapters devoted to 
" Bodice Making " and " The Gored Skirt," to set 
forth simply, yet in such a manner as to answer every 
possible question, those principles which remain un- 



viii Preface. 

altered through all changes of fashions. She has en- 
deavored to make clear the meaning of the many 
changes of method in making-up employed by the 
modern dressmaker, and to explain the suitability of 
each method to the special nature of the material 
selected, or to some particular feature of the styles in 
vogue. 

The manual, therefore, embodies in brief form the 
methods of making in general use, and which the 
writer's long experience has taught her to give the best 
results, whether the student is to follow dressmaking 
professionally, or to add it as a valuable acquisition to 
her personal accomplishments and domestic skill. 

No one need fear its teachings, as they will in no way 
conflict with any particular system, nor does it make 
suggestions confusing with any rudiments the pupil may 
have already mastered. 

It is the author's earnest desire that the dressmaker 
shall go intelligently about her work, and be spared all 
the uncertainties of nervousness ; because, having be- 
come familiar not only with the rudiments of cutting 
and fitting, she is also perfectly acquainted with the 
nature and textures and consequent characteristics of 
the various fabrics with which she is to deal, and is 
thus saved from the annoyance of a result contrary to 
expectation. 

Each step is taken with care and precision, from the 
selection of the material to its completion, and a care- 
ful perusal of all parts will, therefore, not only fix the 



Preface. ix 

principles of dressmaking firmly in the mind, but will 
enable even the most inexperienced to undertake the 
cutting and fitting of the outer garments with a reason- 
able degree of security. 

The chapters devoted to the price and weaves of 
materials are intended to be merely a guide, as prices 
change not only in localities, but in different sections of 
the same city; and different materials come and go in 
the styles so that but an idea of the staples caia be 

attempted. 

C. M. H. 



CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER I. 

BODICE MAKING. 

PAGH 

Points of a Well-cut Bodice — Cutting and Fitting by Measure 
— The Pattern — Lining — Cutting Out the Material — The 
Different Kinds of Stuff — The Tracing-Wheel — Pairing the 
Pieces — Wadding the Fronts — The Office of Wadding — 
Tacking Out — How to Avoid Wrinkles in Fitting — Stretch- 
ing : Materials requiring Special Attention — Putting together 
the Pieces — The Cording — Cutting on the Cross — Seams — 
Collars — Management of the Sewing-Machine — Needles and 
Threads — Machining — Removing the Tacking Threads — 
' Finishing off the Inside Seams — Binding, Overcasting, and 
Turning in Edge to Edge — Pressing the Seams— The Use of 
Sleeve-boards — The Iron — Fastenings — Turnings — High- 
class and Inferior Modes of Finishing — Button-holes — The 
Sleeves — Cuffs — The Turnings of the Arm-holes and Sleeves 
— Setting in the Sleeve — Setting on the Collar — The Belt — 
Shields — The Watch-Pocket — Sewing on the Buttons — 
Inside Finishings ^, i 

CHAPTER II. 

TRYING-ON. 

Natural Position of Collar and of the Sleeve Seams on the Body- 
Run of Seams — Graceful and Ungraceful Lines — Slanting 
Seams — Straight Seams — Wrinkles — How to Deal with 
Them— The First Trying-on— The Outlines— The Front— 
The Sleeve — Uneven Figures — Dispensing with the First 
Fitting-on — Trying-on Often — Seams Running Awry — 



Contents. 



paos 



Trying-on Difficulties — Long or Short-Waisted Bodices — 
Alterations on Back or Front — Width Alterations — Back 
and Chest Too Wide or Too Narrow — Side Too Long or 
Too Short — Sleeve Misfits — Neck and Collar Defects — 
Differences in Figures „ ... 51 

CHAPTER III. 

FASTENINGS. 

Standard Fastenings — Fancy and Ornamental Fastenings — Suit- 
ability to Material and to Prevailing Fashions in Trimming 
—Buttons and Button-holes— Cutting and Making of Ordinary 
Button - holes, Tailors' Button - holes, and Round - ended 
Button-holes — Arrangement of Fronts for Hooks and Eyelet 
Holes — Hooks and Made Loops of Silk or Thread — Hooks 
and Wire Eyes — Lacing — Blind Fastenings— Ornamental or 
Fancy Fastenings ... .*. ... ... 68 

CHAPTER IV. 

BONES AND BONING. 

Why Bones are used — Essentials of Good Bones — Whalebone — 
The Old-fashioned Method of Sewing-in — Bones in the 
Curved Seams and the Centre Seam of the Back, etc. — 
Curling-up and its Remedy — Natural and Artificial Sub- 
stitutes for Whalebone : their Defects — French Horn — Cased 
Steels and Edge Bones — Antarctic Bone — Feather-bone — 
Fin-bone, etc. — Different Methods of Attachment to Bodice 
— Usual Prices - .« ... 79 

CHAPTER V. 

LININGS. 

Bodice LININGS, Old-fashioned and Modern — Suitability to 
Figure and to Material — Linings Too Hard or Too Soft — 
Linen on the Cross — Twilled Silesia — Twilled Lining Silk — 
Italian Cloth — Sateen— Calico — Silk Bodice-lining — Jaeger 
Linings. — Skirt Linings— Essential Qualities— The Best 
Lining — Silk — Alpaca — Russell or Persian Cords — Taffeta — 
Coloured Linen and Linenette — Silcot— Black Glazed Lining 
— Sateen — Italian Cloth — The Cutting of Skirt Linings — 
Beetling — Firm Crinoline Muslins .., 86 



Contents. xi 

CHAPTER VI. 

STITCHES. 

PAGE 

Easing — Good Sewing— Difference between Dressmaking and 
White Work — Value of Slip-Stitching — Choice of Needles, 
Threads, etc. — The Different Kinds of Tacking — Baisting — 
Seaming — Stitching — Back-Stitching — Running—Gathering 
and Gauging — Size of the Gathering Stitch — Biassing — 
Shirring and Casing — Whipping — Overcasting— Loop-Stitch 
— Hooks and Eyes — False Hem — French Hem— "Roll" 
Hem — Invisible or Slip Hemming — Slip-Stitching — Herring- 
boning— Small and Large Cross-Stitch — Fans of Stitches — 
Fine-drawing — Darning in Dressmaking — Button-hole 
Stitch, Ordinary and Tailors' — Stranding for Button-holes ... 95 

CHAPTER VII. 

THE GORED SKIRT. 

Dimensions — Style — Goring — Measures for Skirt-cutting — 
Cutting Out — Darts, Pleats, and Gathers — Wedging — 
Joining the Gores — Seams — The Mantua-Maker's Seam— 
The French or Double Seam — Joining Lace — Bottom Facing 
and Finishing — The Fall of the Skirt — Figures Requiring 
Special Measures — Fixing the Facing — Trained Skirts — 
Pockets and Plackets — Separate, Flat, and Bag Pockets — 
Sewing in the Pocket — The Skirt Belt — Preparing the Top 
of the Skirt — Arrangement of the Back Breadth — Finishing 
the Front of the Waist — Cording and Binding the Waist — 
Double Belting — Fastening the Skirt to the Bodice — Founda- 
tion Skirt — Bottom Braids — Skirt Difficulties — Corpulent 
Figures *.«.**. 117 

CHAPTER VIII. 

WASH-DRESSES. 

Bodices for Washing — Styles for W 7 ash-dresses — Suitable 
Linings — Wadding — Cotton for Sewing Preferable to Silk 
— Facings and Inside Bindings — Buttons to be Preferred to 
Hooks and Eyes — The Belt — The Skirt and its Lining — 
How to Provide for Shrinking — Back Gathers and Skirt 
Belt, etc M ... 159 



xii Contents, 

CHAPTER IX. 

DRESS MATERIALS. 

PAGE 

The Making of Woollen Fabrics, Cotton, Linen, Silk, Mohair, 
and Alpaca — Their Different Qualities — Weaving — Practical 
Advantages of a Knowledge of Materials — Silks : Twilled, 
Corded, Patterned, Pile, and Washing, and Mixed Fabrics 
— Woollens — Cottons — Linen 164 

CHAPTER X. 

QUANTITY, COST, AND PRICE. 

Average Width of Materials — How to Judge Quantities— Different 
Modes of Planning Out— Average Quantities for Bodice, 
Sleeves, Skirt, Collars, etc. — Calculations of Cost — Slow 
and Quick Workers — No Fixed Standard of Charges — 
Average Prices for Different Kinds of Dresses — Average 
Prices of Dress Materials — Inside Finishings for Bodice and 
okirt ••■ •»• ••• •»• ••• ••• ••• ••■ I02 



THE ELEMENTS 

OF 

MODERN DRESSMAKING, 

CHAPTER I. 

BODICE MAKING. 

Points of a Well-cut Bodice— Cutting and Fitting by Measure — The Pattern 
—Lining— Cutting out the Material— The Different Kinds of Stuff— 
The Tracing- Wheel— Pairing the Pieces— Wadding the Fronts — The 
Office of Wadding- -Baisting— How to Avoid Wrinkles in Fitting 
— Stretching : Materials requiring Special Attention — Putting Together 
the Pieces — The Cording — Cutting on the Cross — Seams — Collars — 
Management of the Sewing-Machine — Needles and Threads— Machin- 
ing — Removing the Tacking Threads — Finishing the Inside Seams — 
Binding, Overcasting, and Turning in Edge to Edge — Pressing the 
Seams — The Use of Sleeve-boards — The Iron — Fastenings — Turnings — 
High-class and Inferior Modes of Finishing — Button-holes — The Sleeves 
— Cuffs — The Turnings of Arm-holes and Sleeves — Setting in the 
Sleeve— Setting on the Collar— the Belt— Shields— The Watch- 
Pocket — Sewing on the Buttons — Inside Finishings. 

The modern bodice exacts from its maker a degree of skill 
in cutting and manipulation in making probably never before 
required for any style of garment worn by woman. It must 
enhance every beautiful line and graceful curve of the figure 
by well-placed seams, and be close-fitting at all parts, 
without being tight enough anywhere to interfere with 
entire freedom of movement in every direction ; — it must 
cling to the figure like a well-cut glove, not only fitting 
8 



2 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking. 

it perfectly when in repose, but following every move- 
ment almost as the skin does ; yet there must not be 
any appearance of undue closeness or strain to offend 
the eye, nor must there be any restraint upon the free action 
of the organs of respiration. 

Modern women are far more sensible than their mothers, 
in that they know how the best effects as regards appear- 
ance are obtained by judicious arrangements of lines and 
curves rather than by "pinching"; and the tightly-laced 
waist is becoming less and less fashionable. It is a 
question whether the dressmaker as a dressmaker feels this 
altogether an improvement, as the waist still has to sit clear 
and close and without a wrinkle : there are times (and stuffs) 
when all her skill and thought are needed to ensure this. 

The standard modern bodice fastens down the centre of 
the front and extends some inches below the waist, is usually 
finished as a peak or point at the front (the point varying 
from four to six inches long below the waist), and from it 
rises in a graceful curve over the hips. Some styles run 
down to a point at the centre of the back also, whilst others 
have the lower parts of the back cut into various fancy 
shapes, each of which has its time of favour in popular 
fancy and then dies away and is seen no more. 

The modern bodice has a great many seams, all so placed 
that they break the width of the body to the eye, at the same 
time adding to its apparent length, and on the skilful placing 
and manipulating of these seams much of the grace of the 
fitting depends, it being quite possible to clothe the body in 
a garment that fits closely and yet makes it look thick and 
ill-proportioned, whilst another bodice of thicker material is 
easier to wear and yet adds to the grace of the wearer's 
figure instead of detracting from it (see page 52). 

At one time it was considered impossible to cut and fit 
for women by measure, and some of the old slipshod notions 
of fitting by cutting out a bodice from a pattern "near 
enough " to do, and then completing the fitting by pinching 



Bodice Making. 3 

up here and letting out there have yet (now and again) to 
be met and combated; but as a rule the modern dressmaker 
knows the value of fresh-looking work, and takes the utmost 
care to have her pattern correct in every detail before 
venturing on the stuff. 

The numerous methods of fitting in use require a separ- 
ate volume for their elucidation; but by whatever method 
the pattern is produced, the making-up which follows must 
be done in the same way. A large proportion of the 
present cutting and fitting is done by measure, the cutter 
taking a set of measures from the customer and drafting or 
drawing out a pattern by using the measures according to a 
certain set of rules called a "system," employing various tools 
to assist in its production — sometimes a tailor's square, 
sometimes a chart, sometimes sectional paper. 

A word about perfect systems of cutting, which will do 
away with any necessity for trying-on, may not be out of place : 
every dressmaker hopes to find one, and learns system after 
system in the vain endeavour. If such a thing were possible, 
tailors would have discovered it before this ; the costliness 
of the material they work upon, and the difficulty of making 
alterations upon firm cloth, as compared with soft dress 
materials, would ensure their straining every nerve to master 
knowledge so very desirable and essential ; and the really 
marvellous fitting without trying-on which is done by many 
dressmakers as well as tailors would seem to declare that the 
knowledge has been mastered ; but those same tailors and 
dressmakers know that the risk of alteration being required 
has always to be faced, in spite of careful measuring, ot 
a pattern bodice at hand to compare with, and of the most 
minute care having been taken with every step of the work 
from first to last. It is well for less experienced workers to 
be very careful and painstaking, and not to expect too much 
from the cutting only. Perfect cutting must be followed by 
perfect making-up if everything is to be perfect throughout, 
and such perfection cannot be ensured as a matter of course 
b a 



4 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking. 

to every worker, be she clever and experienced or altogether 
otherwise, simply by the cutting-out. 

The pattern gives one half of the bodice, from the 
centre of the back to the centre of the front, and whether 
drafted, moulded, or bought from a pattern-modeller, con- 
sists of a certain number of pieces — namely, the back, the 
curved side-piece, the straight or under-arm side-piece, the 
front, the upper sleeve, the under sleeve, and the neckband 
or collar. 

Two pieces of stuff and lining are cut for each one of 
the pieces of the bodice pattern, and as these must be cut 
from the material in such a way that the right sides of all 
shall be outside and yet each piece shall be in its proper 
place, various rules for placing them on the stuff and 
lining before cutting out have been formulated, to assist in 
giving certainty to the inexperienced and timid, and to econo- 
mise time and material in the work. It must be remem- 
bered that, by whatever system produced, the pattern comes 
out simply a bodice pattern, with the usual backs, fronts, 
etc., and that the same rules for making-up apply, with very 
few exceptions — to be afterwards noted — to all patterns. 

The paper pattern to cut from may be with or without 
turnings. If the latter, it should either be drafted to slightly 
closer width measures or the fitting-lines cut entirely away, 
as the width of the wheel in tracing outside a pattern makes 
a difference, very slight on each seam, but amounting to a 
very distinct enlargement of size when the bodice is put 
together. This does not apply to the darts, which should 
not be cut out in any case unless the lining is one that 
cannot be traced by wheel or stiletto. In the frontispiece is 
shown the shape of each piece of the bodice pattern as 
usually cut, and the names usually given to the parts. 
Certain lines are common to all systems, and certain marks 
in addition to the outlines are necessary to join the whole 
together satisfactorily. These marks are : — The waist-line 
on all pieces j some mark to indicate that side of straight 



Bodice Making. 5 

side-piece which is to be afterwards joined to the front (two 
small lines are shown on Plate) ; some guide for the position 
of the wadding in the front, shown by dotted lines ; a mark 
on the arm-hole curve to show where the inside seam of the 
sleeve should be placed ; the pleat or dart to shorten-up the 
centre of front edge ; some guide to regulate the position 
of the sleeve-head fulness, the elbows and joining-points 
of both upper and under sleeve, and such design lines on 
the pattern itself as will be needed to show where the 
trimmings are to be placed — as yoke-lines, vest-lines, etc. 

The selection of linings and material is treated of under 
"Linings" (page 86), and "Materials" (page 164), and the 
manner of estimating the quantity required under the head 
" Quantity, Cost, and Price " (page 182). 

Presuming that the selection has been satisfactorily made, 
the work proceeds without interruption. 

Lining is always sold doubled, and on this the pieces of 
the pattern should be placed with all the waist-lines, except 
that of the front, straight across with the weft thread ; that 
of the front should be allowed to take its natural slope, 
and each part of the sleeve placed with the back seam from 
top to elbow straight down the selvedge way of the lining, to 
throw the lower ends on the cross (which makes a closer fit 
to the lower part of the arm). Each piece should be pinned 
down previously to cutting out, care being taken to put the 
pins between the fitting-lines, and not across them, that in 
the after wheeling-out they may not need removing. 

The front itself should be laid about two inches back 
from the selvedge of the lining, and, in cutting out, the 
turnings outside the front should not be shaped, but left 
with the selvedge.* The same rule of not shaping-out applies 
to the back centre seam. With these exceptions each piece 
should be cut out with a fair inch of turnings outside each 
outline, making, of course, such differences as may be re- 
quired for the fancy basque at the back of the bodice, if 
such backs are fashionable. 

* Unless a paper pattern is used ; the seam may then be allowed, 



6 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking. 

The material should next be cut out. This, like the 
lining, should always be doubled where it is possible to cut 
it so, as the two pieces can then be cut together, and thus the 
risk of cutting two pieces of material for the same side of the 
dress may be avoided. If the material is double-width, it 
is already folded face to face or back to back ; but if it is 
single-width, the pattern should be laid out on the wrong 
side, the piece cut off, and moved down the length to 
bring it as if folded face to face, and the pieces cut double. 

It is not advisable to begin dressmaking on a striped or 
plaid material, and velvet is difficult to manage in several 
respects ; the details will therefore be given as for a plain 
self-coloured serge or cloth, where there is no pattern or pile 
to perplex and to complicate matters, though there is often 
a slight " ply " or nap on cloth, which must be considered 
and remembered in the cutting out. The pieces of lining 
should be placed on the stuff with the pattern still pinned to 
them, and the material cut out round the lining. In placing 
a pattern on lining or material, the lengthway of each piece 
must be placed the same way as the selvedge ; in other 
words, the length of the piece must not be laid across the 
lining or stuff. On the material it is also much the best not 
to place any piece reversed, but (even with reversible stuffs) 
to keep the upper end of every piece to the one end of 
the cloth, or one piece of the dress may sheen differently 
from the others when it comes into wear. This rule is not 
so imperative with the lining, but it is well to observe 
it wherever it is possible to do so. 

Stripes, plaids, and fancy designs all need careful match- 
ing, varying with the design ; velvets and plushes must be 
cut with the pile to smooth upwards. Diagonals and even 
twills look better if all the pieces are cut to face the same 
way, and both cloth and satin have a slight nap or ply 
which should smooth downwards. 

When cutting out good woollen stuffs, the scissors should 
be kept slightly outside the margin of the linings, as such 



Bodice Making. j 

stuffs draw up slightly under the scissors as they are 
being cut, and some small allowance should be made for 
this. 

Tracing the fitting-lines of the pattern through the 
doubled lining only — the stuff being put quite aside — comes 
next in order of working. This is now almost entirely 
done by tracing-wheel, which is far more expeditious than 
the old plan of pricking holes half an inch apart with stiletto 
or scissors-point. Respecting the management of the wheel, 
a few words of caution are necessary. Tracing should be done 
slowly, going along with an occasional " backward and for- 
ward " movement of the hand, that the perforations may be 
clear and distinct below. In wheeling out the waist-line the 
wheel should be put down below it, and in wheeling out 
the length-lines it is necessary to remember that the waist 
is the smallest part of the pattern. In tracing the long 
body-lines there is always the inclination to turn the wheel 
before arriving at the waist, and thus make the pieces both 
slack and short-waisted. Beginners should be very careful 
indeed in this respect, or they will increase the waist size of 
a dress three or four inches by this small inattention only. 
In tracing each piece it is best to begin with the waist- 
line first, then to cross the hip curve, and come up the 
"spring" or hip-lines to the waist, but not to continue 
up to the top of the seam in one run. It is better to 
stop at the waist-line, and raise the wheel, and then put it 
down again inside the fitting-line, and continue on to the 
end of the seam. This plan ensures the waist coming out the 
right size. At all other parts the tracing should be on the 
fitting-lines themselves, neither inside nor outside, and the 
only reason for lifting the wheel at the waist is to avoid 
turning it there, which would add a quarter of an inch 
of extra size to every seam. 

The next step is the pairing of the pieces. Each piece 
of the pattern is removed after the tracing has been done, 
and each two pieces of the lining and each two pieces 



8 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking, 

of material of the same shape are paired for baisting. 
The two pieces of material should be placed face down 
on the table, and on each one its own proper piece of 
lining, face up. Some care about this is worth taking, as 
inattention here results, perhaps, in the preparation of both 
sets of lining and stuff for one side of the bodice, with the 
annoying result that the workers have to undo and do again 
a full half of their work. 

After pairing, the next step is to wad the fronts.* For 
this good cotton-wool should be used, and the best quality 
is the most satisfactory. White should be used for very 
light dresses, and black or slate for dark ones. The length 
of cotton-wool should be opened out fully, that there may 
be wool at one side and the skin at the other, and a piece 
cut from it the size and shape of the wadding-space on the 
pattern. The skin side should be laid down on the lining, 
and (from the right side) secured down with minute catch- 
stitches put about two or three inches apart. For catch- 
stitches the needle is put through from the back, and then 
put back through the same place two or three times (of 
course, through both the lining and wool), and then fastened 
off securely. This prevents the wadding from moving, as 
it sometimes does in home-made dresses where this pre- 
caution has not been taken. Then, with a small pair of 
scissors (the ends of the blades held about an inch apart), 
the edges of the wadding all round the wadding-lines should 
oe thinned away, picking the top away and leaving nothing 
but the skin round that part which runs by the arm-hole, and 
pulling and fluffing it softly down at the other edges, not to 
leave a hard ridge to show when the dress is in wear. The 
one thickness of good white wadding is sufficient for an 
average figure. The darker wools are never so good in 
quality as the white, so with them a little more may be 
heaped on ; but it must be carefully borne in mind that it 
more than one layer of wool is used, each succeeding layer 
should be shorter and narrower than the one below, and 

* If wadding is desired ; but many women will not permit the slightest addition 
to their figures. Should it be used, however, great care must be taken. 



Bodice Making. 9 

all the edges carefully " thinned " into it. The skin should 
also be removed from all but the first layer. 

Some workers prefer the wool against the lining and skin 
against the outside stuff; in this case it should be thinned 
off before being put into place. For very loosely woven 
cloths (such as hop-sacks) it is advisable to cover the wad- 
ding with a piece of the outside stuff to prevent its working 
through. With washing-dresses and those of transparent 
materials the wadding is not put between stuff and lining, 
but is made separately between two shaped pieces of 
sarcenet and tacked round the arm-hole after the dress is 
entirely finished, in much the same way as dress-shields 
are put in. Many high-class dressmakers wad all dresses in 
this way, and many wearers prefer it to the other. Tailors 
wad the lining and secure it down with several rows of 
machine-stitching, following the shape of the arm-hole. 

That the use of wadding in dress bodices is to fill up the 
natural hollows of the figure is not well understood, and 
many avoid its use altogether, under the impression that it 
is a first step down the path where truth ends and falsehood 
begins. This, however, is not the case. The wadding has 
a definite office, and, rightly used, it is infinitely preferable 
to the wrinkles that will certainly form down from the 
shoulder unless the bodice is made uncomfortably narrow in 
the chest, which is bad equally for health and appearance. 
Manipulation of the material alone, which can be resorted 
to for all other hollows, must be cautiously used down the 
front of the shoulder, or it will seriously interfere with the 
organs of respiration by contracting the chest, in addition to 
drawing the figure over and establishing a habit of stooping. 
The chest should have free scope, and in figures which are 
very hollow down the centre of the shoulder two or even three 
thicknesses of wool may be used with advantage to ensure 
this, and yet keep the outside material smooth. Each 
succeeding layer, however, should be shorter and narrower 
than the last, and the wadding itself should be kept strictly 



io The Elements op Modern Dressmaking. 

within the bounds naturally assigned to it by the formation 
of the figure, and not allowed to spread outside them. 

The hollows of the figure are down the front of each 
shoulder and round and under each arm, where the rise 
of the bust falls away; and here the wadding is needed, 
though a few well-developed figures show no hollow at the 
shoulder, and only require slight filling-up round and under 
the front of the arm. 

On the frontispiece both wadding-lines (marked h for 
hollow figures and f for full ones) are clearly shown. The 
h lines run as high as the turn of the neck, and here 
the wool must be carefully thinned away, or it will show 
thick and full on the slope of the shoulders : good fitting 
and making would endeavour to avoid this, and to keep 
the pretty natural curve there, which is accomplished by 
stretching, as explained below. 

The space to be wadded is from two to two and a half 
inches wide across the top (in the centre of the shoulder), and 
the wadding should be kept from touching the neck curve or 
upper part of the arm-hole near the shoulder-joint, which is 
always bent a little forward in hollow figures, and is really 
one of the limits of the chest hollows. The f lines only 
touch the arm-hole curve at about four inches above the 
level of the arm-hole depth, and sweep round to the 
under-arm seam at a depth of about an inch and a half. 

After the pairing comes the bcisting., Each piece of 
lining is already laid on its own piece of material, and 
fastened to it with a couple of pins ; it is next to be tacked 
down to it (using thin baisting-cotton, generally white or 
pink) in the pricked outlines. Inch stitches may be used 
on the long, straight lines, but smaller ones are necessary 
round the curves. All the stitches, both under and over, 
should be of equal length, and all the marks which were 
traced should be tacked out, except, of course, the 
wadding-lines, which have been already used. 

Expert dressmakers stretch certain parts of the outside 



Bodice Making* 



n 



material a good deal down the length of the bodice, but it is 
unwise for anyone to attempt it until she quite understands 
why and where it is done. It is generally admitted that the 
outside material should be stretched a little to ensure close, 
clear fitting and freedom from wrinkles, as woollen dress stuffs 
are more elastic and yielding than the linings on which they 
are mounted; the stretching also imparts the quality ot 
" clingingness " to the bodice; but all materials are not 
equally elastic, and great care must be taken not to im- 
poverish the stuff by stretching too much, and in the wrong 
direction. 

Baisting should be done in such a way that the 
lining is loose or full down the length of the bodice at all 
the hollows of the figure. The posi- 
tions of the hollows of the figure are 
clearly indicated by the lines of shad- 
ing on Fig. i. In addition to those 
which have been dealt with by wad- 
ding, we find the turn of the neck, the 
waist, the front edge, and the side- 
seam of front under the arm. This 
last place is an awkward part to deal 
with, even for experienced dress- 
makers, and to shorten it various de- 
vices are resorted to. The little seam 
shown on the frontispiece, taken up 
in the lining only and the material 
smoothed down over it, is one ; 
cross-boning (i.e., sewing in a bone 
on the slant, from the top of the dart 
to the bottom of the side-seam) is 
another; but undoubtedly the most 
successful way of dealing with it is by cross-cut, which 
is a method of manipulating the pattern in such a manner 
as to throw the whole of the side of the front, from the back 
dart, on the cross of the material. Each different system ot 




Fig. i.— i to i, 2 to 2, 3 to 
3, Stretching for the 
hollows of the figure ; 
5 to 5, Cross-boning ; 
4 to 4, Extra bone in 
front. 



12 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking. 

cutting by measure has its own method of producing the 
cross-cut, therefore it is not necessary to enter into details 
here. 

For long coat bodices the waist seam is necessary ; for 
the short round or pointed bodices at present worn it is suffi- 
cient to have some slight curve on the hip seam below the 
waist, and to cross-bone, or use the simpler plan of an extra 
bone (the casing sewn to the lining only) between the seam 
and back dart. The position of the bone is shown by a 
firm line on Fig. i, the dotted line indicating that of a 
cross-bone. The hollow of the front edge is dealt with by 
using the cross-pleat or V-dart, either pinning it up in the 
paper pattern before tracing, or sewing it out as a little seam in 
the lining and smoothing the stuff down over it afterwards. By 
the latter plan the seam is almost sure to come in the way of 
a button-hole; the writer therefore prefers the first plan. It 
is not advisable, for young figures, to cut up the first dart 
of the pattern to make the cross-dart lie quite flat, as it 
takes away some of the shaping of the front, but it may be 
done with advantage for older figures (see page 67). The 
waist is the principal hollow, and the one where most of the 
looseness of lining is required ; but the slight hollows down 
the front of the shoulders which have been already wadded 
have also to be considered, and at the turn of the neck there 
is also the slight falling-away just above the collar-bone 
where wrinkles are likely to form. These are all best dealt 
with by fulling the lining to strain the stuff out over it. To 
rightly understand why this is so, we have to remember that 
in covering curves with successive layers of stuff, inward 
curves or hollows (as the waist) require the longest layer 
first, and each successive layer has to be shorter than the 
last (as the hollow gets, in a sense, filled up) if it is to sit 
smoothly and cleariy. 

With outward curves (as the bust) the reverse is the 
case, and each succeeding layer should be longer than the 
last, or a sense of constraint and pressure and drawing down 



Bodice Making. 13 

will be felt, and the outside material will pull up and 
create wrinkles for want of sufficient length to sit clearly. 

One method of ensuring a fit clear of wrinkles is to put 
the stuff face down on the table and on it place the lining 
right side up, pin together in two or three places to prevent 
slipping apart, and tack out in the fitting-lines over the edge 
of the table or over the hand, working from the top down- 
wards, and returning to the top to start each fresh length. 
This uses up the length of the top piece more rapidly than 
that of the one underneath, and will make the lining slightly 
full for the material all down the length. (See " Easing," 

Page 95-) 

Another plan is to pencil or tack out the fitting-lines, 
place the lining face down on the table, with the material 
right side up, upon it, smooth the latter out very much and 
pin down here and there, baist all over the surface without 
regard to run of seams, then turn over and tack out in the 
fitting-lines. 

Still another plan is to carefully cut stuff and lining 
exactly the same size, place the stuff face downwards on the 
table with the lining upon it, see that all edges match exactly, 
and then draw the lining back a quarter of an inch from 
every edge, pin down by the turnings and tack out in the 
fitting-lines, keeping the fulness of the lining inside them. 

Again, there is the following method : The stuff is placed 
face down on the table, the lining right side up, upon it, and 
a few pins put in down the front fitting-line from neck to 
bust to keep the lining in place. Half an inch of lining is 
pinched up in a slanting direction from the turn of the neck 
to the arm-hole ; the extra fulness thus made is gradually 
distributed from this point round the neck and arm-hole 
curves. Next, a similar half-inch pinch is taken up in the 
lining at the centre of the shoulder as far down, as the 
bottom of the arm-hole, and the fulness distributed along 
the front shoulder seam. 

The liring is pushed up a very little in the length over 



t4 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking. 

the bust — only enough to draw out the extra elasticity of the 
stuff, and another pinch taken all across the waist-line, the 
fulness to be distributed over the space of an inch and a half 
to two inches above and below the line, but to be kept fulled 
close to the waist itself. 

The front of the lining from neck to bust may then be 
moved slightly back, just enough to give the material a slight 
straining across the chest, and then the tacking out done in 
the fitting lines, the work being held, lining upwards, over the 
hand, to make the fulled lining sit clear whilst the stitches 
are being put in, as no little pleats should be made to use up 
the fulness ; when the tacking out is done the stuff should 
be gently stretched to the size of the lining. This method is 
practically stretching the material on the lining, but only at 
the points where such stretching is required by the formation 
of the figure, and the quantity stretched out can be regulated 
for each part. The darts should be cut up the centre line 
to within an inch of the top, and the material on the 
" tongue " between them, and also on the part of the front 
between the back dart and first seam, stretched downwards 
and backwards in the direction of the dotted "cross- 
boning" line (5 to 5) on Fig. 1. 

All the other body pieces need only the half-inch pinch 
at the waist; the fulness distributed a little above and 
below it, but the greater part close to the line itself, and the 
rest of each seam tacked over the hand or table-edge to 
ensure smoothness ; the sleeves are better not strained 
at all, as they are loose on the arms, and the strained 
stuff not being held down by the curves of the figure 
and close fit, would simply draw the sleeves up and make 
them a trifle shorter. 

It is not advisable to stretch width as well as length, as 
the two tensions counteract each other, and so are likely to 
pull the bodice out of shape, and the strain may make the 
stuff give at the seams if the fit is very close and the down- 
ward stretching has been well done ; but the outside stuff 



Bodice Making. 15 

should never be loose — if one is to be looser than the other, 
it ought to be the lining. 

On Fig. 1 will be noted three firm lines showing 
the lines corresponding with the hollows, and consequently 
the position of the fulness of the lining. It must be borne 
in mind by the worker that different materials do not possess 
the same degree of elasticity ; loosely woven diagonal serges 
are better for being stretched a full inch down the length of 
each bodice piece, but a hard plain silk or silk velvet will 
not yield a quarter of an inch unless the seams fall on the 
cross of the fabric. From a half to three-quarters of an 
inch is the average amount that can be stretched out of 
ordinary woollens, and care must be taken in drawing down 
those seams that are quite on the straight of the thread, or 
an awkward tear may result. 

Subjoined is a list of materials that require special atten- 
tion to some particular detail when they are being tacked to 
the lining. Different tacking stitches are given on page 98. 

Owing to their elasticity, as well as the form of the figure, 
all woollen materials should be slightly stretched down the 
length when they are being tacked out, and the tacking 
may be done in the fitting-lines without detriment to the 
material if ordinary tacking-cotton and fairly fine needles are 
used. This method of tacking out has the great advantage 
of preserving the outline to the most inexperienced eye as 
long as the threads remain in the work, and it is therefore 
invaluable to beginners. Woollens woven with a twill are 
more flexible and stretch more than plain ones, and there- 
fore must be put tighter on the lining ; one inch is not too 
much to stretch a soft, thick diagonal down the length, 
three-quarters of an inch for ordinary twills, half an inch for 
plain woven stuffs. 

Open textures, such as woollen canvas or woollen grena- 
dine, should be stretched with great caution, lest the designs 
are pulled oat of shape, and the yielding qualities of crepons 
should be / udged by the firm part, not the creped ones, as 



1 6 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking. 

if the latter are unduly strained the beauty of the fabric is 
lost. 

Low-class woollen goods are adulterated with cotton and 
other hard, unyielding fibres, or, being often only shoddy, 
are not able to bear much strain. Such goods should only 
be stretched very little, and that with great caution, as they 
tear easily. Cotton stuffs are harder and less yielding than 
woollen, and should not be stretched much — from a quarter 
to half an inch down the length is sufficient — and twills 
in cottons, as in woollens, are more yielding than plain 
goods. 

Pile fabrics, whether of cotton or silk — as corduroy, 
velveteen, velvet, plush, etc. — do not yield much unless cut 
on the cross, so must not be much stretched, and every care 
must be taken not to spoil the pile ; fine cotton and needles 
should be used, and the tacking out done in the turnings 
outside the fitting-lines, the lines themselves being pen- 
cilled. 

Soft crepons and crapes of every kind, cotton crape, 
crape cloth, crepe de Chine or soft crape, should be handled 
lightly and not much stretched. 

Hard mourning crape is seldom used for the whole of a 
fitting garment, but is often laid on as a plastron, vest, revers, 
etc. It should be handled with the utmost lightness and 
delicacy of touch ; the least degree of stretching is bad for 
its after-wear, and spoils its appearance at once. 

Plain silk does not stretch much unless on the cross, 
and shows pin and stitch-marks ; it is necessary therefore to 
take the same precautions as for velvet, and to tack with very 
fine needle and cotton. Corded silks, ottomans, poplins, 
bengalines, etc., come under the same head, and should not 
be made to fit extremely close, as the cords, being already 
pierced by the needle in the machining, are ready to fall 
apart under strain. The same applies to all corded 
fabrics, whether of silk, cotton, or wool. 

Twilled silks yield nearly as much as woollens, but split 



Bodice Making. 17 

quickly if unduly strained down ; therefore they should be 
handled with judgment and caution. 

Net, lace, gauze, muslin, and thin goods generally should 
not be stretched on the lining at all ; they are seldom made 
in quite plain styles, as they are too thin to keep in shape. 

The experienced worker, who knows her lines thoroughly, 
can afford to dispense to a large extent with tacking out, and 
many simply baist out all the pieces to the lining (stretching 
them well over it) and join immediately in the pricked fitting- 
lines, afterwards tacking out all the outlines of neck, fronts, 
arm-holes, waist, etc., to preserve them as long as they are 
required ; but the inexperienced worker should carefully 
avoid following her example, or she will certainly spoil the 
work by losing some of the lines or putting the wrong ones 
together, and not yet having judgment or knowledge by 
which to detect and correct her errors, a hopeless fiasco is 
the usual result of such an attempt. 

The great objection to tacking in the fitting-lines — and 
it is a great objection — is the number of tacking threads at 
every seam to machine over and draw out afterwards. Where, 
however, it is desired to combine the advantages of both 
methods without the disadvantages of either, it is a good 
plan to tack out and tack together in the fitting-lines, using 
a differently coloured cotton for each, and after the trying- 
on to remove the tacking-out threads from the seams before 
machining, leaving only the tacking-together threads to be 
drawn out afterwards. In this case the fitting-lines of the 
arm-holes, neck, waist, and front-edge lines should be 
separately tacked out. 

After the tacking out comes the joining together of the 
pieces^ unless some of the seams are to be corded, in which 
latter case the cording should first be tacked to the lines 
requiring it. 

There is no doubt that the fashion of piping or cording 
bodice seams had its origin in a real need, and that its 
utility (based on something deeper than fashion) cannot be 



1 8 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking. 

questioned where the sewing-machine is not available. 
When all the seams were hand-made, there is no doubt that, 
however careful the worker and close and firm the stitching, 
there were difficulties to contend with in the nature of 
material and lining, and in the way the required curving 
of the seams would run at every imaginable angle across 
warp and weft, that would at times prove insurmountable, 
and make seams to which the " pull " of the stitch would 
give an appearance very far from pleasing to the eye (espe- 
cially where the fit was close), after the bodice had been 
worn a little. All the seams where this " pull " of the 
stitching was likely to show were corded : the curved 
back-seams, the arm-holes, the collar, the waist; and 
the cording, being ornamental in itself, would naturally be 
carried on as a pleasing finish round those parts which 
did not specially need its soft roundness to help on to a 
smooth effect. 

Single cording is made from strips of material an inch 
wide on the cross, and tacked over piping-cord, which 
is soft and evenly woven, and can be procured in white and 
black. The cord is laid in the middle of the strip of stuff, 
and the edge turned over it and tacked along quite close up 
to the cord, care being taken that the outside material does 
not twist in the slightest degree, as its absolute smoothness 
and roundness makes the beauty of the cording. It is then 
tacked very easily to the fitting-line of the seam to be 
corded — to the backs if for the curved bodice seams, to 
the arm-holes of the bodice if for sleeves, to the neck, or 
all round the collar itself for the neck, after which the 
joining is done in the usual way. The arm-hole cording is 
started under the arm, where the join will show least, and 
the ends of the cord are cut away; the ends of the casing are 
left long, and either crossed or passed into one of the bodice 
seams. Practised workers can make the cording and tack 
it into place as they go ; when it was in general use 
many workers made it and put it in with the seam whilst 



Bodice Making, iq 

joining, but the plan has the danger of tightening-up the 
seams by drawing out the very yielding cross of the strips 
in which the cord is enclosed. This was a very common 
fault, and one to be guarded against. Corded seams are 
not likely to be revived, excepting as a temporary fashion, as 
they do not pass very freely under the sewing-machine, and 
unless the stitching is quite close to the cord its best effect 
is lost. It would very probably be found least troublesome 
to stitch corded seams entirely by hand. 

The strips for bodice-seam cording should be an inch 
wide to allow sufficient material for inside neatening, but 
those for the edges of cuffs, collars, or any part which is to 
be afterwards finished with a silk lining or facing, may be 
only half an inch wide, as the narrower the strips are, the 
less chance there is of twisting. It is needless to say that 
the cording should be stitched, not merely tacked, along 
the edge before the facing is hemmed or slip-stitched on. 

When making cording, the end of the cord should at the 
start be tacked to the stuff that covers it, as it is extremely 
awkward and annoying if a sudden jerk brings it all out of 
its casing, and the whole length has to be opened and 
started afresh ; and to save bulk the cord is cut just short 
of the length of the seams at the arm-holes and bottom 
edges, the casing only being left for the turning- up and the 
setting-in of the sleeves and all finishing. 

Cutting on the cross needs great care. The cross or bias of 
material is neither the way of the warp nor the way of the weft, 
but a slant across both. The exact cross is the diagonal of a 
square, the size of the square being regulated by the width 
of the material. To ensure the exact cross, the width of 
the material is folded down the length of the side, making 
a fold on the slant which gives the line of cutting, or true 
cross. If the material is a twilled one, the line of cutting 
must run the reverse way — across the twill, not with it, 
otherwise the strips will not hang well for flounces or fold 
smoothly for bands or cording, but will have an irresistible 

C 2 



20 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking, 

inclination to twist and wrinkle, however carefully handled. 
The width of the required strip should be measured from 
the cross edge at each end, marked, and a line lightly 
chalked across, by which it should be cut. If it is pre- 
ferred to measure up the selvedge at each end, it must be 
borne in mind that the cross strips come out about a third 
less than the measure up the straight, and due allowance 
has to be made for it. All the slanting joins should 
be made to run in the same direction — that of the warp 
threads. This must be particularly borne in mind for 
flounces or any hanging cross-made trimming. In joining 
cross strips, the edges of each end must not be put evenly 
together, as in joining strips on the straight, but the points 
should be allowed to overlap at each end to the extent of 
the turnings to be taken up in making the join (or about 
a quarter of an inch). If there has been any irregularity 
in cutting the strips, and some are wider than others, the 
utmost care should be taken in joining to keep one edge 
of the joined lengths even, or the necessary paring down 
will throw every part out of the true cross, and spoil the 
appearance of the trimming made from it. 

Where only a few narrow cross strips are required it would 
be wasteful to cut into such a length of stuff as the full 
corner of double width would take, and a smaller one can 
be turned over to start the cross, so long as care is taken 
that both sides of the corner turned over are exactly the 
same length, to ensure that the strips cut be on the true 
cross. Double-width material should always be opened 
before the corner is turned over; if cut without opening, 
a series of V-shaped strips, instead of bias ones, is the 
result. 

All seams should be joined by the waist-lines, 
and the pieces put evenly together, neither fulling nor 
stretching beyond what is just necessary to bring the 
lining (which was fulled at the waist in the tacking out) 
back to its own length. It is not a bad plan to pass 



Bodice Making. 21 

an iron over each tacked-out length or piece before 
putting together, to flatten out or stretch the outside stuff to 
the length of the lining; but the lining itself should not 
be stretched. All joining should be from the back forward, 
the backward piece being held towards the worker whilst 
the joining goes on. 

All tacking together should be securely started and 
finished, and should not begin and end at fitting-lines only, 
but should be carried quite to the edges of the turnings 
at the top and bottom of every seam. The two backs are 
put together by the waist- and neck-lines, and first pinned 
and then tacked together in the fitting-lines (the pricked 
outlines) which were previously " tacked out." If the 
tacking out and joining are nicely done, the neck curves will 
run together in an unbroken line across the top. 

Next (the back being held to the worker and the curved 
side-piece away from her) the two should be joined together 
from the waist upwards, care being taken to join them 
evenly, and not to stretch the one and full the other. Plenty 
of pins must be used, and the whole seam pinned together 
before tacking. At the top of this seam the unbroken 
arm-hole line should begin to form itself again; but if by 
any mischance there should be difference in length at this 
seam, the difference must run out at the arm-hole and the 
waist be left untouched, unless the system of drafting counts 
the back curve to be slightly fulled to the top of the curved 
side-piece : where this is the case the rules of the system 
should be followed. If this is done, the fulling should be 
placed where it will accommodate the shoulder-blade, i.e., 
at the most rounded part of the curved side-piece, about two 
inches below the top of the seam, and be kept within a space 
of about two inches below that. 

Occasionally corded curved seams are stitched too; the 
backs are corded, and the curved side-piece then turned under 
exactly in the fitting-line and placed upon it, close up to the 
cord ; a line of stitching is carried quite close to the edge of 



22 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking, 

the fold — sometimes two or three — instead of an inside seam 
being made in the ordinary manner. When this fashion 
obtains, the arm-holes would be stitched over the sleeve- 
heads and the back shoulders over the front ones. 

Next, the small straight side-pieces should be joined to 
the curved ones, also from the waist upwards. Where the 
drafting is by any system which does not produce the body- 
pieces already separated, the straight side-piece at this seam 
may happen to come about a quarter of an inch short at the 
arm-hole end, unless the lengths have been carefully checked 
off first, but it may be allowed to pass ; finally, the front 
must be joined to the straight side-piece, at the top of 
which the arm-hole line should run on unbroken again.* 

The back dart must be pinned by the waist-line, the 
back part of it being gently stretched down to make the 
two lines of equal length. It must be first pinned and then 
tacked together. The front dart can be simply folded down 
its centre line and tacked together. Both darts should 
be very gently tapered off at the top, and it is easier for the 
worker to close them before joining the fronts to the rest 
of the bodice. 

The shoulders should be put together at the neck end, 
great care being taken to make the whole neck-line run in 
an unbroken curve. Neglect of this precaution will cause 
the front of the bodice to pull to one side after it is finished. 
Of course, if the neck has been lowered in the drafting, 

* This rule dates from the time when the half-bodice was cut in 
three pieces — back, curved side-piece and front. In this cut, the seam 
under the arm, being quite straight down, would be equal in length on 
both sides. With the four-piece cut, the line of the curved side- 
piece, falling farther back on the figure, is more on the slant, and conse- 
quently longer than the perpendicular line of the straight side-piece to 
which it is joined ; and unless the lengths of the two lines are carefully 
balanced by lengthening the shorter one, there is the slight difference in 
length to deal with, which is easiest done by letting it run off at the 
arm-hole, as, if joined from the arm-hole down, it breaks the run of the 
vaist, and so puts the whole of the bodice out of balance. 



Bodice Making. 23 

the worker will be careful to take the lowered neck-curve 
of both back and front of the pattern when wheeling out. 

The sleeve should be put together by the inside seam, 
which must join exactly at the top ; any difference of length 
should run out at the wrist end. The back seam of the 
sleeve should be made to "lie," that elbow-room may be 
ensured. The sleeve, with the inner seam joined, must be 
placed flat on the table, the under-part being uppermost. 
The upper is considerably wider than the under, and the 
fitting-line of the upper must be lifted over to meet the 
fitting-line of the under, a little above the elbow, and the 
two pinned together to the top of the seam and down to 
within half an inch of the elbow-mark; then, half-way 
between the elbow and the wrist-line, the same " bringing- 
over " must be repeated — i.e. t the sleeve must be laid flat, 
and the back fitting-line of the upper sleeve brought over to 
meet that of the under. The seam must be pinned down 
to the wrist-line (this line will probably not run exactly to- 
gether at the back seam), and then pinned up to within a 
quarter of an inch of the elbow, where it will be found that 
the upper-sleeve is now a little too long for the under- 
sleeve. This trifle of extra length must be gathered and 
fixed at the elbow-point, the fitting-lines being closed together 
above and below it. 

If the sleeve is now laid down on the table, it will be 
found that, except for the little fulness at the elbow, it lies 
quite smooth and flat, as if upper and under were the same 
width, and the gathering at the elbow has made a tiny 
bag in which the elbow can move freely. This bag is 
necessary in close-fitting sleeves, and can only be put into 
its proper place by making the sleeve lie. If the sleeve 
is joined down the back seam, from top to bottom, there will 
be no elbow, and it will not lie flat, but will twist from in- 
side to outside in a very ugly way ; and if it twists . when 
off the arm, it will certainly twist upon it. If the sleeve is 
cut with upper and under of equal width at the elbow (as a 



24 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking. 

coat sleeve), the gathering is not needed, as a little extra 
curve on the seam gives the required room for free move- 
ment; but there should always be a little gathering at the 
elbow with sleeves of the present fashion — i.e., with narrow 
under-sides. 

Collars have changed very much within the last twenty 
years. At one period the neck-band was simply a narrow 
binding on the cross sewn to the outside of the neck of the 
bodice, turned over, and neatly hemmed along the inside. 
With firm or hard stuffs a lining of soft silk or sarcenet was 
substituted for the piece turned inside, and the bottom edge 
of the outside cross-strip stretched a little to give it curve. 
It was presently found that a strip on the straight, slightly 
curved at top and bottom, would sit better and was less in- 
clined to wrinkle than the crossways strip, especially if it 
had a little stiff muslin tacked between. This class of collar 
is made and set on as follows : The outside material, 
the lining, and the stiffening — consisting of one or two 
thicknesses of white muslin — should all be cut with at 
least a quarter of an inch of turnings all the way round, and 
laid, lining face up, material face down, upon it, and the 
stiffening on the back of the material. These four, so 
arranged, should be machined along top and ends at the 
distance in from the edges allowed by the turnings, the line 
of sewing pressed, the top edges of the turnings slightly 
snipped and the corners pared away, the lining then turned 
over and the edges pressed along. The collar is now set 
on to the fitting-line of the neck, using the quarter-inch of 
turnings and beginning from the back centre seam (to which 
the middle of the collar is laid), the right side of the collar 
to the right side of the dress, with the collar towards the 
worker. From the centre the collar should be pinned 
round towards the front, pinning it by the neck-curve 
through outside material and stiffening, and it should end 
just at the fitting-line at front, to do which the collar 
must be put on a little easy for the neck of the dress. It 



Bodice Making. 25 

should be firmly tacked, and then machined along just in 
the fitting-line, after which the tacking threads are removed, 
the turnings snipped, and the lining of the collar hemmed 
down over the sewing to make all neat. 

The increased fashion of wearing tailor-made dresses 
helped in the stiff collar. Tailors like work turned out firm 
and smooth, and their collars are lined with three or four 
thicknesses of French canvas, each strip rubbed down with a 
film of soap, and the whole then ironed together. This 
makes an excellent collar-stiffening, as it is firm and smooth 
without being easily cracked. Dressmakers have substituted 
upholsterers' buckram (a firm, thick, drab canvas, much 
stiffened) for it ; but this needs covering if a firm, smooth 
collar is to be made, though it is not infrequently cut to 
size and the outside material tacked over it without any 
further preparation ; this makes the outside material look 
very poor if it is well strained over, and soon cuts through 
top and ends. Collar-stiffening, woven on a slight curve, 
can now be bought in various widths, and is an excellent 
invention of its kind. Stiff collars are made as follows : — 

The collar pattern should be made with the centre of 
the back to a fold of the paper, and cut out double and by 
the fitting-lines. It should then be opened and laid on the 
buckram with the back fold to a thread, that the fronts of 
the collar may be equally on the cross, pencilled round, and 
the buckram also cut to the fitting-lines. Two pieces of 
lining, muslin, or any thin material are then cut, also to the 
size of the collar without turnings, and put one on each side 
of the buckram, and either tacked or machined through in 
a zigzag line from one end to the other. After this it 
should be ironed through a damp cloth, and slightly curved 
to the shape of the Jieck and well dried in the ironing. Pro- 
perly done, this gives a collar with the firm substance of a 
starched linen collar, and without the disagreeable crackli- 
ness of the raw buckram. 

The outside material is cut the same way of the thread 



26 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking. 

as any other part of the dress, and a quarter of an inch of 
turnings allowed all round it. This is turned over and 
herring-boned down (raw-edged) to the collar at top, bottom, 
and ends, the stitches being taken alternately through the 
lining machined to the buckram, and through the turned- 
over edge of the stuff. The material will require slightly 
snipping to lie easily over the curved-out top edge of the 
collar, and the outside material should be put on tightly 
both in width and length. 

Two hooks are then sewn to the right-hand end, the 
turn being a quarter of an inch under the edge of the collar, 
and two eyes or two silk loops to correspond with the hooks 
on the left-hand end. The eyes are sewn a quarter of an 
inch under the collar-end, and the sewing-on is done to the 
material turned over and the lining on the buckram, not 
through the buckram itself; and the collar should meet edge 
to edge at the ends when finished. If silk loops are used, 
they should not be put outside the collar-end unless it 
is intended to overlap. They are often worked on the 
extreme end edge instead of either below or above it, and 
are then easier to hook but more inclined to gape than if put 
a quarter of an inch underneath, as eyes would be. Loops are 
preferred to hooks for a collar-fastening, as they are easier 
to bring to the hook without crumpling the collar-end, eyes 
being worse to handle in this respect. 

A lining of the same silk used for the other in- 
side finishing is next prepared ; cut large enough to ease 
a little both in length and depth and to give a good half-inch 
of turnings below. This lining should be either slip-stitched 
or hemmed to the collar along the top and down each end 
to within a quarter of an inch of the bottom, where it should 
be left loose to allow the collar to be freely adjusted to the 
neck-lines. 

When the bodice is all tacked out and tacked together 
it is ready for the first trying-on (see page 53). 

The trying - on being satisfactorily completed, the 



Bodice Making. 27 

machining follows, unless the seams are to be stitched by 
hand — a long and tedious process, but the only advisable 
course to pursue if the worker is not possessed of a machine. 
Shop-work of this kind is very unsatisfactory as a rule, and 
equally so is the machining of kind friends. Very few people 
know what careful machining a bodice requires, or, no doubt, 
more care would be taken ; but certainly the best fitting 
possible can be entirely spoilt by bad machining, and this 
is particularly to be regretted when great care has been 
taken and time spent on the previous work of drafting, 
tacking-out, etc. 

The best sewing-machines are those that run lightly, do 
not make a noise, have not many or complicated arrangements 
for regulating the tension of the thread either for the top or 
for the shuttle, and do not readily get out of order. Treadle 
machines have two great advantages over those worked by 
hand : they leave the worker's hands free to guide the work 
under the needle, and the lower wheel, being always a large 
one, gives many more stitches for each movement of the foot 
than the smaller wheel of the hand-machine gives for each 
turn of the hand, thus making a saving of time and labour. 

Each make of sewing-machine must be managed accord- 
ing to the rules issued with it, which are formulated 
according to the principles of its construction ; with these 
each worker should thoroughly familiarise herself, such de- 
tails as the threading, regulation of tension, etc., being also 
peculiar to each make of machine. 

It is, however, a general rule to keep the machine well- 
oiled and clean. Ordinary machine oil should be used for 
the purpose, as olive oil clogs, and all surplus oil should be 
carefully wiped away before any work is brought near the 
machine. Should it happen that it has run dry or works 
heavily by reason of being clogged, it may be "oiled" with 
paraffin oil and worked briskly for a few minutes, wiped off 
and properly oiled, when it will be found in good working 
order again. 



28 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking. 

The needle and cotton or silk should be suitable in point 
of thickness to the material to be sewn, and a blunt needle 
should never be used, as it makes larger holes in the work 
than the thread it carries will fill up. No one would use a 
blunt needle for hand-work, but machine needles are fre- 
quently kept in use for a very long time — sometimes, indeed, 
until attention is drawn to their bluntness by the spoiling of 
a piece of work. The needle should be well-pointed and 
fine, sufficiently large to carry the thread easily, but not 
larger than that. 

Cottons and linens are machined with cotton, high-class 
woollens with silk, ordinary woollens with cotton for the 
seams and silk for outside stitching ; velvets, silks, etc., with 
machine silk. This is beautifully smooth and strong, and 
does not make a bulky seam. The cotton for ordinary 
woollen dresses should be about 40's size and unglazed ; it 
should match the dress in colour if possible (though black 
is often used for dark stuffs, claret, myrtle, navy blue, etc.), 
and be smooth, even, and strong. Where cotton cannot be 
matched to bright-coloured woollens, expense should not be 
made a consideration, but machine silk to match always 
used, as lighter or darker cotton shows very distinctly in the 
seams. The thread on the shuttle bobbin, whether of cotton 
or silk, should be very carefully and evenly wound, and the 
tension of both threads quite equal, or the stitch will not be 
perfect. Some sewing-machines require a finer thread in 
the shuttle than for the needle, and where this is so the 
finer thread must be used or silk substituted for it (as it 
runs smoothly); but where a thread of equal size can be 
used it is distinctly preferable, especially for seams, where 
the strain on the thread is equal from both sides. 

Cotton soon looks shabby and loses its first freshness of 
colour, so it is never used for ornamental machine-stitching, 
such as hems, edges, etc., or any part where the stitch is 
to show ; silk is correctly used for such outside work on 
all but cotton dresses. 



Bodice Making, 29 

The silk is very often used either for the needle only 
or the shuttle only (the face of the work being up or down 
accordingly) by economical workers ; the tension of both 
threads must then be very exact, or some of the cotton will 
be brought to the face and so spoil the silk effect. Such 
work is best done with the face of the work up and the silk 
in the needle. Fine sewing-silk should not be used for 
machining ; it is not strong enough to bear strain nor thick 
enough to be ornamental, and is best reserved for slip- 
stitching. Suitable machine silk is to be obtained 
from all good stores, or, where very effective stitched 
hems are wanted, button-hole twist may be employed. 
The size of the stitch should be adapted to the thick- 
ness of the material, thick stuffs needing a longer 
stitch than the thin ones ; it is wise to put two scraps 
of stuff and two of lining together, exactly as they would 
come in a bodice seam, and try the stitch on them be- 
fore commencing on the work itself. Thick stuffs need 
about fourteen stitches to the inch, ordinary beige, foule, and 
stuffs of that class about sixteen ; and bodices of thick 
material should not be machined to fit as closely as those of 
thinner stuff, since the turn of the seams consumes a little 
width, and the bulk of the turnings tends to fill up the 
bodice slightly as well. 

For ordinary work the machining may be started at either 
the top or bottom of the seams, as long as it is all done the 
one way, and the machinist should go slowly and steadily 
along bodice seams, taking particular care to see that the 
needle is fairly on the waist-line before turning ; half a 
dozen stitches may be machined straight below it before 
turning without spoiling the fit of the dress— rather it will 
improve it, as it will make the more distinct " waist " 
referred to on pages 54 and 59. 

This " making a waist " should only be done on the 
straight seams at each side of the straight side-piece; it 
makes the fit of the bodice look better and last longer, but 



30 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking. 

should be done most carefully. The curves are easiest 
machined with the backs down ; this necessitates putting 
the bodice under the arm of the machine whilst working, 
but if it is kept smooth and rolled over close to the needle 
it will not be troublesome to do so. Where the baisting 
together is not firmly done, the curves are liable to run apart 
in the machining, and so produce a defect in the after 
fitting-on. 

Curved seams or lines should not be pulled out into a straight 
line whilst they are being machined ; they must be allowed 
to keep their own curved shape as nearly as possible whilst 
passing under the needle, or they are apt to split open as soon 
as they come into wear. (A curve is longer than a straight line, 
both starting and ending at the same point, and the straight 
line of machining consequently does not use up so much 
thread as the curve, and when the bodice is put on and 
the curves drawn back to their own shape the thread is too 
short for them and gives way under the strain. Therefore 
every curve, whether back-curves, sleeve-seams, arm-holes, 
or faced hems, should be kept its own shape and machined 
slowly, to allow each stitch to be perfectly made, and all 
the length of thread required to be taken up by the work.) 

Cords, repps, and goods of that class require great care 
in the size and sharpness of needles chosen and the degree 
of tightness given to the garment by the machining, as the 
groups of threads composing each cord are loosened by being 
pierced with the needle, and are very ready to split at the 
seams under strain, particularly if sewn with hard cotton. 

Skirt seams should be joined from the top downwards, 
and are considered to run less risk of stretching if the straight 
or selvedge edge is down and the bias one up during the 
process of machining, as explained on page 129. 

Velvet and pile fabrics generally should be machined 
against the pile, as seams so joined show the sewing less, 
and are also less likely to slip away from each other during 
the process. 



Bodice Making. 31 

When the dress leaves the machine, it should be folded 
by the back centre-seam, and all seams carefully compared, 
to ascertain that there has not been any unequal taking-in, 
but that the pieces on each side of the dress are still pairs 
both in size and in shape. The run of each seam on both 
sides should be noted, to see that there has not been any 
slipping away of the under-piece in the machining, and the 
widths of back, bust, and waist measured up to make sure 
the size has not been too much decreased. Any errors are 
best corrected before the turnings are glazed by the pressing. 

The waist should be tight enough to meet with difficulty 
when the machining is completed, and the bodice gently but 
very thoroughly stretched out to make it comfortable for the 
wearer. This is very necessary for all bodices cut by 
measure, otherwise the waist wears loose in a few days, 
to the annoyance of everyone concerned ; but the stretch- 
ing must be done gently, and corded fabrics or goods of 
that class watched and the stretching stopped if the seams 
begin to show signs of yielding. 

The machining over, the baisting threads should be re- 
moved from all the sewn seams. If the stitches are snipped 
at every few inches with the scissors, they will be found 
easier to draw out. With velvet and pile fabrics generally 
they should be drawn through from the face ; it does not 
then injure the pile. Care should be taken not to remove 
them from the fitting-lines, or from the neck, waist, design- 
lines, arm-holes, and bottom edges. If by accident they are 
drawn out from any of these parts, they should be imme- 
diately replaced. 

The next step is the finishing off of the inside seams, 
which may be done in several ways. At the waist of each 
seam the turnings must be snipped across nearly to the 
sewing-line ; the darts are snipped across at the waist and 
opened to within half an inch of the top, where they must 
be snipped across nearly to the sewing-line again. The 
tiny scrap of dart at the top, above this last snip, must be 



32 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking, 

carefully flattened with the iron when the seams are pressed ; 
the other parts of the turnings should be finished off in the 
same way as the other seams. After snipping, the edges 
of the turnings must be trimmed to a uniform width of 
from half to one inch outside the sewing-line, wide enough 
to keep from curling up but not so wide as to overlap at the 
waist, and, to make them neat and prevent them fraying, 
the edges of the turnings must be protected in some way. 

Very common work indeed is pinking them out, or 
machining them down, raw-edged, quite close to the edge ; 
but amongst better-class dressmakers only three methods 
are in general use — binding, overcasting the raw edges, or 
turning in the edges of stuff and lining, and either running 
down or overcasting them together. 

Of these methods binding is considered the best. Fine 
narrow China or sarcenet ribbon is used; it is creased 
and turned over the edges, and neatly run through all 
at once. The binding should be put on " full " or " easy," 
especially at the waist and a little above and below it ; and 
as it is not easy to turn sharp corners with binding, the turn - 
ings are generally scalloped at the waist instead of being 
merely snipped across, and the scallops continued the length 
of the seam. If the stuff is one that frays very much, it 
would be roughly overcast before binding. 

Overcasting is used for very thick stuffs, or for those that 
fray, and should be close and neat (see page 107). Care 
should be taken not to draw the stitch up tightly, or it makes 
a hard cord-like ridge which will soon show through the outer 
stuff when the dress is in wear. Scalloping is not so advisable 
with overcasting, as the stitch is best worked on a thread, 
and scalloping presents every variety of " cross " to the 
needle; the snip at the waist should be sufficient for 
all but the curved seams, though some workers prefer to 
snip the turnings of these and also those of the inner 
sleeve seams. Snipped curves do not look well — scallops 
should be used if cutting is needed to make the turnings 



Bodice Making. 33 

lie — and with sleeve seams snipping is dangerous, and should 
only be used if absolutely necessary. It will generally be 
found that if the turnings of the inside sleeve seams are made 
narrow — say a quarter to three-eighths of an inch — and the 
edges held well turned over the forefinger during the over- 
casting (exactly as little children hold work when they are 
learning to seam or top-sew), the edges will be sufficiently 
stretched to lie nicely to the arm, without a feeling of con- 
straint or pressure. 

Turning in edge to edge is used for very thin stuffs, and 
is best for washing-dresses. For this the turnings should 
not be pared down quite so closely as for overcasting, as 
about a quarter-inrh is turned in. For bodices to the waist 
only, they can be run along by machine quite close to the 
edge, care being taken that the tension is quite loose 
enough; but it will probably be found to take less time if 
they are run by hand for bodices extending below the waist, 
as the latter need fixing. Hand-work finishing on the inside 
edge does not tighten it up in the length as machining does ; 
such tightening, with any kind of finishing off, is a 
very serious defect, as it shortens the length of the 
seam. 

Just at the waist, where the turnings have been cut 
across, they cannot be turned in ; they must therefore be 
overcast there with a few strong stitches. Each seam 
must be finished to lie open when done ; there will be, 
therefore, two lengths of finishing to every seam. The 
back seam of the sleeve may be made an exception to this 
rule if desired, or, if the stuff is rough, but with very 
close sleeves, even this is better laid open.* 

The pressing of the seams follows, and this should be 
done patiently, as on it the beauty of the finish largely 
depends. The irons should be neither too hot nor too 
heavy, and both sides of each seam, from the sewing 

* Inferior work at curved seams is often finished by neating all from edges of 
the turnings together, and the turnings pressed to lie in the curved side-piece. 

v 



34 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking, 

line to the edge finish should be well pressed down before 
any attempt is made to open the seams flat. This presses 
the finishing, and saves the risk of it showing through. If 
the dress is of very thick or very springy cloth or serge, a 
damp cloth should be laid over the closed seam and the 
pressing done through it, leaving it slightly damp for the 
last pressing. After both sides of the closed seam have been 
pressed, each one may be laid open and pressed flat with a 
cooler iron, care being taken not to stretch the length of the 
seam ; and the bust of the dress (each side of the top of 
the darts and a little above them) should be opened, and 
great pains taken to press the extreme tops of the darts 
quite flat out; but the same pains must be taken not to 
stretch the dress at that part either down or across: the very 
end of the iron only should be used there. Inexperienced 
pressers are apt to put the whole face of the iron down at 
this part of the bodice, and give it a rapid twist round with 
the idea of opening it thoroughly ; but this makes a bag 
which the figure does not fill, and it often irons in creases 
that cannot be removed. 

The sleeve seams should be pressed, first closed and then 
open, and a sleeve-board is certainly an advantage. Sleeve- 
boards are narrow enough to go into a sleeve, and one end 
is rounded and wider than the other — sometimes the top is 
flat, sometimes rounded — and it should be covered with 
flannel or some kind of woollen. Different contrivances are 
made use of for this purpose — a small cricket-bat, a broom- 
handle, or a rolling-pin being the favourites; but care should 
be taken that neither bat nor broom-stick has been painted, 
and that the rolling-pin has never been used, or the heat will 
bring off the paint or bring out the grease, with disastrous re- 
sults. Many workers prefer pressing all seams open on a rounded 
surface, as it minimises the danger of the edges of the turn- 
ings marking through ; and here the cricket-bat and broom- 
stick share honours, the former having the advantage of a 
wide and flat base, and being consequently firmer, the latter 



Bodice Making. 35 

giving greater length, and so allowing all the seam to be 
pressed without constant moving. Pressing should always 
be done on four thicknesses of woollen stuff— soft cloth, or 
a blanket covered with a piece of close linen or holland — 
and sleeve- and skirt-boards should be similarly covered. 
The iron should be well cleaned, and not too large or heavy. 
Tailors use a narrow iron, which runs along the seams ; 
dressmakers, as a rule, keep to the old-fashioned flat-iron, a 
6 or 8 lb. one being usual. 

All fabrics may be ironed in the same way as woollens, 
unless they have a pile, when every care should be taken not 
to flatten it ; crepons come under the same head as pile 
fabrics, and should be pressed in the same way. The pile 
may be a cut one, as in velveteen, velvet, and plush, or 
may only be looped, as in terry or frise velvet. 

With these the closed seams should be carefully pressed, 
care being taken thoroughly to flatten the turnings and neat- 
enings, but not to let the iron more than barely touch the 
line of sewing ; if it comes over it, each seam will look, on 
the outside, as if it has been greased. The iron is then to 
be securely placed side upwards on the iron-stand, the 
seams opened and drawn slowly (the same way as the pile 
runs) over the edge of the iron, the outside of the bodice 
being upwards and the turnings down and towards the iron. 
This will open the seams thoroughly without injuring the pile, 
and to prevent the grip of the fingers marking it (though the 
hold should be taken on the turnings only, and not over the 
fitting-lines) good workers place a scrap of the velvet — any 
little cutting will do — pile downwards on the pile and hold 
by it. It is somewhat like clapping two hair-brushes to- 
gether — the fibres fit into each other and prevent crushing. 
Corded seams (of any fabric) should be pressed in the same 
way, unless they are to be finished off together, in which 
case they need not be pressed open at all. 

Sometimes two workers hold the seams to be pressed — 
one at each end — whilst one runs the iron along the seam, 
p z 



36 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking. 

thus pressing it, face downwards, in the air. It is simply a 
different way of doing the same thing, but there is more 
strain on the seam and some danger of burning the other 
worker. 

Silk glazes and scorches very quickly, and should there- 
fore be pressed in the same way, and with an iron that 
is light in weight and rather cool; indeed, it is a mistake 
to use hot irons for pressing : it is work that needs to 
be slowly and carefully done, and the iron should not be hot 
enough to scorch if a little extra slow pressure is wanted at 
any part. 

Fugitive colours, which change to brown when heat is 
applied to them, are very terrifying, as it appears that the 
bodice has been scorched and hopelessly spoilt ; but if the 
lining has not been scorched it will generally be found that 
the colour comes back when the dress is quite cold. Nearly 
all light blue-greys, stone-colour, lilac, pale heliotrope, etc., 
are likely to prove fugitive in this way, and there is one pretty 
shade of dark-green which turns brown in pressing ; it takes 
three or four hours before the colour comes properly back 
to any of them. It is not advisable in dressmaking to cul- 
tivate the habit of pressing through a damp cloth, as tailors 
do. The materials worked upon in each trade are very 
different in texture and quality, and need handling accord- 
ingly. With tailors, whose work is largely upon serges, 
tweeds, and firm woollen cloths, wet treatment is best adapted 
to the requirements of the material, and is made one of the 
special features of their work, both in the exquisite finish of 
all seams and edges, and in the skilful manipulation by which 
they impart form to a garment; whilst the large majority of dress 
materials — as cashmere, foule, etc. — are so comparatively light 
and thin that wet treatment would injure colour, finish, and tex- 
ture, causing them to draw up and look rough and cockled, 
and entirely destroying the delicate appearance of the fabric. 
With these the pressing should neither be wet nor heavy ; it 
is quite possible to press too much, as well as too little. 



Bodice Making. 37 

The pressing being finished, it is as well to try on 
the dress again, with collar tacked on and sleeve tacked in, 
and see that the pressing has not made the fit too slack ; 
and if this proves satisfactory, the front edges are prepared 
for the fastenings, the bone-casings are put in, and the 
bottom edge turned up. The bone-casings are sewn on, 
but the bones should not yet be enclosed in them, and 
the sewing-in of cased bones, if they are to be used, should 
be left till the bodice is much nearer completion, as they 
make it stiff and more difficult to handle. (See " Bones 
and Boning," page 79.) 

Fastenings vary with fashion ; buttons and button-holes 
are the most usual. The button-holes are made in the right- 
hand front ; the buttons are sewn on the fitting-line of the 
left-hand front. 

The turnings of the right front are trimmed off to within 
half an inch of the fitting-line, and half of this is turned over 
and pressed firmly down ; the edge is thus turned one 
quarter of an inch outside the fitting-line. This quarter of 
an inch is to be left beyond the ends of the button-holes, 
which are only to come up to the fitting-line, and (with the 
small round buttons generally worn) is sufficient to prevent 
them from coming over the edges ; but where the edges are 
to be machine-stitched it should be wide enough to carry the 
stitching beyond the ends of the holes, or if larger buttons 
are worn (as on bodices fastening at one side, for instance), 
the edge left beyond the button-hofe end or fitting-line 
should always slightly exceed one-half of the diameter of 
the button, or the latter will lie over it. (See page 71.) 

The turn can be made firm by a row or two of small 
running- stitches made close to the edge on the inside only, 
taking up on the needle all but the outside stuff. Inferior 
work is strengthened by a line of machine-stitching, but that 
should only be used if all other edges are to be stitched as 
well. 

Sometimes a strip of linen or French canvas is tacked 



38 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking. 

down the fronts to give firmness ; this should be wide 
enough to carry the holes well, and should be shaped 
exactly to the front edge without turnings, slipped under 
the quarter-inch turn, and tacked down the inside of the 
bodice over the hand to ensure its being easy in the length. 
A facing either of glace lining silk, firm piece silk, or sar- 
cenet ribbon one and a half inch wide, is next prepared; 
if either of the former, it is cut about two inches wide and 
shaped to the front, narrow edges turned in, and the whole 
neatly and firmly hemmed in to the bodice, the work being 
held over the hand to keep the facing easy down the length, 
and the stitches taking up all but the outside material 
of the bodice ; or a facing of the stuff is sometimes used, 
and is put on in the same way. Seam binding ribbon has 
the advantage of a finished woven edge, and therefore of not 
requiring any turning under, but at the extreme front edge 
will need extra easing-on at the waist and a couple of inches 
above and below it, or it will not lie at its inner edge 
without snipping across. It will also make some fulness at 
the inner edge over the bust, which must be used up 
by keeping the work over the hand whilst hemming it in. 
If the edges of the bodice are to be machine-stitched, all the 
stitching should be done before the facings are hemmed in ; 
such stitching would of course secure the stiffening of linen 
into place very thoroughly. 

It will be noticed that the facings, ribbons, bone-casings, 
and stiffening are to be put in easy down the length. It must 
be remembered that the lining was made easy for the outside 
stuff at the commencement ; that the turnings of all seams 
were snipped at the waist and scalloped, to give ease in the 
length ; and that, in fact, the rule of longer length for every 
successive inside layer is needed in every detail, if the work 
is to be satisfactory. With the facing under the button-holes 
it is particularly necessary, as if at all tight it will break away 
from the stitches and make the edges wrinkle up. 

For the left front, or button side, the turnings must be pared 



Bodice Making. 39 

down neatly about an inch and a half beyond the fitting- 
line ; the lining and stuff can then be turned in edge to edge 
and machined down, or turned over and tacked down ready 
for a facing ; this will leave about an inch of stuff extending 
beyond the fitting-line, which is usually called the button- 
stand or wrap, and is intended to go under the button-holes, 
and so prevent gaping of the fastening edges. With figures 
that sink much back to the waist, the button-stand or wrap 
may be snipped across at the waist (in the same way as the 
turnings of the body seams) ; but this is not necessary with 
ordinary figures if the stand is only about an inch or an inch 
and a half wide. The buttons should be sewn on through 
a strip of firm linen or a narrow ribbon or galloon laid be- 
hind the fitting-line, which should be tacked down on the 
inside of the bodice over the hand to ensure its being easy in 
the length. The linen is covered by the inside facing, which 
is also about two inches wide, shaped to follow the curves of 
the front exactly, and also hemmed on to the edge and to 
the lining only, just as the button-hole edge is finished; and 
what has been said about piece silk or sarcenet, ribbon 
binding, or a facing of the outside stuff, applies here also. 
Ribbon must be used if the button side is not to be faced 
under, but is often preferred to linen even when a facing is 
used. 

The shaping of the bottom edge has already been settled, 
both in the tacking-out and trying-on, and some strips of 
stiff black or white muslin (Victoria lawn), from two to three 
inches wide, cut on the cross, and folded double, are used 
to give a little firmness to it. This is placed with the 
fold of the muslin to the fitting line and the bottom edge 
turned over it (the muslin being a little wider than the 
turnings), care being taken not to stretch the edge. 

It should be finely tacked up into place at a quarter of 
an inch above the turned edge, and the surplus turnings at 
the ends of the long seams slightly thinned away. No 
bone should go below this fine tacking-line, and bone- 



40 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking. 

casings should be turned up by it. Sometimes the raw 
edges are firmly herring-boned down through the muslin to 
the lining only, and the edge finally finished by hemming 
down, at each edge over all, a length of ribbon or piece 
of either silk, piece silk, or stuff (an inch and a 
half wide ; on the cross or straight to match the fronts, 
and slightly eased on) — sometimes the herring-boning is 
omitted. All joins are mitred, and points made firm 
and flat. The great difficulty about this bottom edge is 
in finishing the front points of a pointed bodice so that 
they fit together, and do not overlap when the dress 
is finished. On the button front the longest part of the 
point should be fixed just on the fitting-line, the edge 
running short again on the button-stand, which goes under 
the button-hole side of the dress in wear; on the button- 
hole front it should be at the fitting-line itself, or very 
slightly beyond it. Care must be taken not to have one 
point sharp and the other blunt; at the button-hole 
side, where the turnings of front edge and bottom edge 
coming together are difficult to manipulate to the requisite 
fineness, the turnings need carefully trimming down and 
turning over. The bottom edges are generally left tacked up 
till all the other parts of the work are finished. For cased 
bones this is quite necessary, and it is also desirable with 
bone-casings to allow the lower ends of the bones to be 
secured to the casing, but this is not needed with long 
coat-bodices. (See " Bones and Boning," page 84.) 

The method detailed above gives high-class finishing : 
the following methods are also in use : — 

The turnings of the right front should be snipped at the 
waist to within half an inch of the fitting-line, and then 
turned in just a quarter of an inch outside it. Care should 
be taken that the piece of material and lining turned in 
is as wide or a little wider than the button-holes will be 
when they are made. The piece turned over should be 
turned under and hemmed neatly to the lining inside the 



Bodice Making. 41 

front, or tacked along raw-edged and finished by a narrow 
binding (China ribbon or Paris binding), hemmed along on 
both sides over it. If care has been taken, in turning it in, not 
to lose the shape of the bowed front fitting-line, the turnings 
will be found a little too full over the bust; this fulness 
must be " eased in " in the hemming, not laid in one flat 
pleat, and an extra scrap of stuff must be laid under the 
waist (where the snipping has left the turnings open), to 
strengthen it there. The left-hand front has the quantity 
for button- stand allowed as in the preceding method ; the 
stuff and lining are simply turned in edge to edge and 
machined down, or it is bound, or even overcast raw-edged ; 
the buttons are sewn on through a ribbon laid behind the 
fitting-line to strengthen the front. 

With very inferior work, the left-hand front is turned in 
and left loose from the lining, the button-holes being worked 
through it without any further preparation, and being con- 
sidered to hold it sufficiently. Sometimes the loose edges 
are left with their selvedges just as turned in ; at others they 
may be found overcast together or bound with narrow 
ribbon. Jacket-makers, used to working on unlined cloth, 
finish dress bodices in this way from force of habit. When all 
the edges are turned, the fronts may be marked for button- 
holes and the holes worked. These should be cut exactly 
by a thread and at equal distances apart (see " Fastenings," 
above), and should all be the same length. They are 
sometimes marked with pins, but it is an unsafe and not a 
particularly tidy way of working, as the pins can easily get 
shaken out or misplaced, and are likely to catch the thread 
and scratch the hands of the worker. It is easy to mark 
them with -a tape measure and a needle threaded with white 
cotton. One edge of the tape measure should be laid close 
to the fitting-line, and (beginning at the waist) stitches 
should be taken up the other side of it, a scrap of stuft 
being taken on the needle at every inch, or at every three- 
quarters of an inch if the button-holes are to be as close 



42 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking. 

together. This must be done up to the neck, and then down 
from the waist to the point. This plan gives a row of tacked 
marks all the required distance from each other, and just the 
width of the tape from the fitting-line, which is generally a very 
good length for holes to be used with ordinary small buttons. 

After marking and cutting, it is usual to slightly 
overcast the holes before commencing to work in button 
hole stitch ; if the material is one likely to fray, run 
ning twice round, the needle taking up in the second 
round all the spaces it missed in the first, is often 
substituted; with very loose materials back-stitching may 
be used in place of both running and stranding (see 
page ti 6). Either running or stitching must be done 
before the holes are cut, or the needle will break out 
the edges. It is best to mark for the sewing-on of 
the buttons from the holes themselves ; after the latter 
are worked the two fronts should be very carefully pinned 
together, fitting-line to fitting-line, the waist-line, ends of 
points, and neck-curves matched, and (the left forefinger 
feeling the end of emch hole as the marking is done) the 
place for each button marked by a stitch in coloured cotton 
on the left front. The actual sewing-on of the buttons, 
however, should be left to the last, as if they are sewn on 
before the collar they are very much in the way ; but it is 
easier to mark for them before the collar goes on than later, 
and the stitch-marks remain as long as they are needed. 

The sleeves should be finished at the wrist-end, and the 
cuffs (if they are required) set on, before the sleeves are put 
in ; indeed, at this stage of the work it is necessary to 
consider carefully what had better be done next ; it is very 
desirable that each separate part should be finished as far as 
possible before all are joined together, as it keeps the work 
fresher and is easier to handle. The wrist should be turned 
by the fitting-line of the end of the under-sleeve over a folded 
cross-strip of muslin, just as the bottom edge of the bodice 
is turned, and tacked down to the lining raw-edged, and then 



Bodice Making. 43 

finished by a ribbon or shaped piece of silk or satin 
being hemmed neatly over the turnings and to the lining. 

The sleeve is held inside-out whilst the facing-up is done, 
and the work should be held flat at the wrist-end — not 
turned over the hand — whilst the silk is being hemmed in, 
or it will be full and puffy inside the sleeve when in wear. 
The upper edge of the facing, which is to be sewn to 
the lining of the sleeve only, should be slightly eased on, 
unless a very narrow ribbon (half an inch only in width) is 
used; the former is preferable, allowing the sleeves to sit 
better to the arm; it should be shaped from a strip on the 
cross if possible. 

A plain cuff should be made in pretty much the same 
way as a collar, using one thickness of muslin in place of 
the buckram. The lower parts of the sleeve pattern should 
be laid together by the inside seam and the pattern cut 
by it, care being taken to increase the width that it may 
easily go over the end of the sleeve. The pattern thus places 
the seam of the cuff at the back seam of the sleeve, which is 
the least conspicuous place for a perfectly plain cuff. The 
material and muslin may be joined together in the seam, 
and surplus muslin cut away ; the edges of the stuff should 
then be turned over and herring-boned down to the muslin 
at both top and bottom, a silk lining hemmed in, and 
the whole finished cuff slipped up the finished sleeve- 
end, the lower edge being firmly slip-stitched into place. 
If the upper edge is to be slip-stitched down too, the silk 
lining may be omitted ; otherwise it is necessary. Per- 
fectly plain cuffs, unless of very rich material, are seldom 
used ; they look poor unless finished with cord, trimming 
of some sort, pipings, or a narrow fold set under the edges. 

This gives a perfectly plain sleeve-finish, but at times the 
fashion of ornamenting the end of the sleeve, instead of 
using a cuff, comes into vogue. Buttons and button-holes, 
hooks and eyes, and fancy lacings are all used, and buttons 
with loops of cord or worked loops of silk are also liked for 



44 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking. 

close wrists. For buttons and button-holes, or hooks and 
eyes, the sleeve seams are arranged exactly as front edges 
would be for similar fastenings, with the necessary stands 
and wraps; edge-bones, however, being omitted. If the 
fastenings are at the lower end of the inner seam, it is an 
advantage to the after-effect to straighten the fitting-line in- 
stead of turning the edge to the inward curve, and the extra 
size put into the sleeve can be taken out at the back seam 
by straightening off the curve there also. With hooks and 
small loops, or buttons and large loops, the wrap may be 
omitted and the loops worked quite on the edge of the fold ; 
with loops of woven cord, the cord is carried round the 
wrist as well as up the opening, where it is finished off in- 
side. The cord is sewn on by overcasting it to the edge of 
the sleeve ; it must be held " easy," and not allowed to 
twist, and it will when sewn roll into place and hide the 
stitching-on. 

The ends of the sleeves are sometimes cut a few inches 
longer than necessary, lined with the trimming silk or velvet 
used on other parts of the dress, and turned over as a cuff, 
either the inner or outer seam being left open to allow it to 
lie easily. This lining-up would be done in exactly the same 
way as described for bell-sleeves, taking care the facing is 
very easy in the length to allow smooth turning-out, and 
snipping the sleeve-turnings across quite close to the fitting- 
line where the facing is hemmed on, for the same reason. 

Where the sleeve is ornamented with several rows of fine 
braid round the end in the manner of a cuff, it is usual to 
close the inner seam only and back the sleeve with a shaped 
piece of stiff muslin loosely tacked on, and machine on all 
the braid before closing the back seam and finishing the 
wrist. It is much the neatest and safest plan, as braid frays 
very rapidly, and is not easily joined to look well on the out- 
side, but it looks very ugly if the braids do not exactly meet 
at the back seam when the latter is closed. 

A plain coat-sleeve differs from the present bodice-sleeve in 



Bodice Making. 45 

three respects : it is less curved at the inner seam, is cut to 
fit loosely, and upper and under are the same width. Being 
loose-fitting, it does not require such very special provision 
for elbow-room as the close bodice-sleeve ; a slight curve in 
the back seam gives all that is needed without gathering. 
Such sleeves, when in vogue, are often joined up with the 
turnings of the seams to fall between stuff and lining of the 
under-sleeve in the same manner as explained for gored skirts 
(Chap. VII.), and this method of joining has also distinct 
advantages for quick work on open-wristed or bell sleeves, 
where flat seams made through would be very unsightly. 
Any of the methods given for skirt seams may be adopted, 
according to the class of work on the bodice. The finishing 
of the wrist-end of an open sleeve would nearly approach 
trimming. The edges should be finished by turning them 
over and herring-boning down, and then finely slip-stitching 
a carefully-prepared shaped facing (or lining) of either the out- 
side material or the trimming silk to it. If piped cording is 
used, it should be tacked round before the facing is put in, in 
which case the three (sleeve, piping, and lining) might be 
stitched through on the wrong side, pressed, and the facing 
hemmed up against the lining of the sleeve, as the bottom 
edge of a skirt is finished, though the first method would 
give the flattest and firmest finish. The facing should reach 
up to the elbow, and the seam, if seams are needed, should 
be made where it will show the least ; at the inside seam is 
in this case the least conspicuous place. When the fashion 
of loose lace or net sleeves worn inside the outer dress sleeve 
prevails, the inside finishing of the latter is not so elaborate, a 
shaped hem of the stuff two or three inches deep being used, 
but a quilling or frill of lace or silk is sewn in above it to 
make an effective finish. Such sleeves, if not corded, are 
bound or more or less elaborately trimmed with folds, frills, 
etc. : a quite plain end would be unsatisfactory to the eye. 

The turnings of arm-holes and sleeves should be pared 
down to a scanty half-inch beyond the fitting-line before the 



46 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking. 

setting-in is started ; with broad turnings the worker seems 
to be easing-in more than is actually the case, and great 
disappointment is felt when the sleeves-heads, in spite of all 
her care, come out poor and contracted. Paring down the 
turnings prevents this. If the sleeves are to be corded-in, 
the cording is next tacked to the arm-holes (see page 18). 

To set in the sleeve, the inside seam should be put to 
the inset mark, with the turnings opened or pressed down 
into the under-sleeve. The sleeve must be held next to 
the worker and the dress away from her, and the under-sleeve 
pinned round to the fitting-lines of the arm-hole as far as the 
back sleeve seam, the turnings of which should also be laid 
into the under-sleeve if they are not pressed open. It is now 
necessary to return to the inset and to begin to ease in the 
upper part, making the sleeve full for the arm-hole as high 
as the mark opposite the front of the neck-curve (see Plate), 
and gathering the surplus fulness between this and the back 
shoulder seam, or a little (about half an inch) below it $ 
slightly graduating it down to the back sleeve seam as well, 
if it is quite a plain sleeve. The head of the sleeve should 
be at least two to three inches larger than the space it 
is to fill in the arm-hole, to allow for this fulling. Tight- 
fitting linings of full, puffed, or leg-of-mutton sleeves must 
be set-in to the arm-hole in the same way, after the outside 
stuff has been gathered and fixed to the fitting-lines, or a 
sense of constraint will be felt and the lining will soon tear 
away at the front of the arm. 

The back seam of a close-fitting bodice sleeve with 
narrow under-sides generally falls about half-way between 
the curved back seam of the bodice and the seam below it ; 
its exact position varies slightly according to the cuts em- 
ployed, but care should be taken with the second sleeve to 
exactly match the position of the back seam as well as the 
inside one. The two seams should be pinned into place, 
and then the setting-in of the second sleeve proceeded with. 
Tacking is not strong enough to hold sleeves well to the arm- 



Bodice Making. 47 

hole for machining-in ; they should be run and back-stitched 
with cotton or silk the same colour as the dress, the 
tacking-threads removed, and the sleeves carefully machined 
in, remembering to keep the arm-holes curved whilst the 
machining is being done. If the machinist can keep a 
length of galloon or Paris binding outside the seam whilst 
she is machining, and stitch through one edge of it, the 
other edge can be closely overcast with the turnings, which 
will make the arm-holes flat and well-finished ; or after the 
sleeves are machined-in, the binding can be hemmed at 
one edge to the stitching, and the other edge overcast with 
the turnings in the same way. The turnings are naturally 
pushed into the arm-holes by the action of putting on the 
bodice ; if turned under the shoulder, instead of into the 
sleeves, they cause the latter to lie close to the arm, 
and to look as if they had been insufficiently eased into 
the arm-holes. 

Setting on the collar follows. The fitting-lines of the 
neck should be pinned together from the back seam, and 
the turnings trimmed down to a quarter of an inch in 
depth (this should not be done before the dress is quite 
ready for the collar, as the neck is particularly apt to 
stretch during the making). The bottom edge of the 
collar is then laid just over the fitting-line, beginning 
with the middle of the collar and the centre back seam of 
the dress, and working forward on each half. The right side 
of the dress and the right side of the collar should both be 
uppermost, and the collar towards the worker, that it may in 
a sense be eased on by the work being held slightly over the 
hand whilst the collar is being pinned on. 

The collar should be slightly larger than the dress, and 
the latter slightly strained at the turn of the neck (see 2 to 2 
on Fig. 1, page 11) ; but at this point also the greatest care 
should be taken not to set the collar on in a straight line and 
let the curve of the neck go up inside it, as all workers have a 
tendency to do. It produces a very annoying misfit, making 



48 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking, 

the bodice rise against the collar at front and back as if the 
dress were too long at those parts, whereas the fault is that 
the neck curve has been turned into a square, in the setting- 
on of the collar. Another annoying defect is overlapping of 
the collar at the top of the ends, and this is brought about 
by setting the extreme ends a very little below the neck- 
curve lines instead of upon them. The bottom of the 
collar ends should make a nearly straight line across the 
front of the neck if the upper part is to sit well ; but they 
are inclined to push downwards in the handling, and the 
very slightest peaking will bring about overlapping at the 
front. 

After the collar has been pinned on from the outside it 
should be back-stitched firmly on from the inside, the 
stitches being taken through the fitting-line, and only 
through the bodice and the material turned over the 
collar — not through the buckram. The stitches should 
not be large nor tightly drawn up, and the line of sew- 
ing should be absolutely even, or it will show by little 
puckerings on the bodice below the collar. The turnings 
should then be snipped a little to free the neck from the 
strain, and the silk lining hemmed down over the sewing 
to make all neat, keeping the depth easy that it may not 
lift the dress against the collar when it comes into wear. 

For washing-dresses, the body of the collar may be made 
of three or four thicknesses of white check muslin, cut with- 
out turnings and machined through, the stuff herring-boned to 
it, the lining sewn on, and the whole then set on the bodice 
exactly as a buckram-stiffened collar ; or the old-fashioned 
plan first given may be adopted. 

All edges, fronts, arm-holes, neck, etc., should now be 
lightly pressed from the inside; the bones put in and 
fastened into place, and the bottom edge bindings finally 
hemmed up. 

The belt is finished either with hooks and eyes or with a 
buckle. If the former, a hem about an inch deep is turned 



Bodice Making. 49 

at the left-hand end, two eyes being sewn on the outside 
of this hem. From the eyes the length of the belt is 
measured and turned over with a half-inch hem, on the 
under-side of which two hooks, to correspond with the eyes, 
are placed. If a buckle is used, it is sewn to the left- 
hand end of the belt, which is left about three-quarters of a 
yard long, and the right-hand end neatly mitred to pass 
easily through the buckle. The belt is secured to the turn- 
ings only of the three back seams — the bottom of the band 
being to the waist-line — by rows of small cross-stitching, 
herring-boning, or by one large cross-stitch to each seam ; 
the latter is sometimes prettily done in narrow china ribbon, 
a very coarse needle being used to carry it and pierce the 
belt and turnings. When unstiffened collars were worn, 
loops for hanging were put from shoulder-seam to 
shoulder-seam, just below the collar ; but this would 
crack the buckram on stiffened collars, and the practice 
of putting two loops for hanging, one at each shoulder- 
end, or one at the top of each curved seam, has taken 
its place. 

Shields should be tacked lightly to the turnings 
at each end, and also by the rounded part of each 
half ; one half should be in the sleeve and one in 
the bodice itself, the rubber being against the lining. 
Thin washable preservers may be made of a single thickness 
of wash-leather, bound with china ribbon, and tacked into 
the bodice in the usual way. 

The watch-pocket was at one time an ornamental out- 
side pocket, made of the dress-trimming exactly as a cuff 
would be made, and slip-stitched against the dress just 
below the waist. Later, when wearers had tired of the out- 
side pocket, a tiny bag-pocket of silk was used, and dress- 
makers took advantage of the little seam across the waist 
and used it to give turnings for the sewing-in of the pocket. 
At the present time a tiny bag-pocket is hemmed to the 



50 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking. 

inside of the right-hand front, just at the bust ; the mouth of 
the pocket is slanted off, and the pocket is sewn in on the 
slant to hold the watch securely. Tiny chamois bags, 
such as jewellers use for watches, make excellent watch- 
pockets ; they save scratching and tarnishing, if bound 
with china ribbon are not bulky, and both look and wear 
well. 

Buttons should be sewn on last of all. The sewing-on 
should all be done from the outside of the bodice, through 
the marks already made from the button-holes, the needle 
taking up a very small piece of the bodice and linen or 
ribbon below it, whilst the forefinger of the left hand gently 
draws the silk or satin facing away that the stitches may 
not go through. The stitches should be as small as possible, 
not to draw up the length or width of the bodice, and each 
button should be stemmed and the fastening-off done in the 
stemming. Flat buttons with two or more holes must be 
sewn on with the twist used for the button-holes, and can 
be sewn on from the outside as easily as any other button. 
Silk or cotton, as preferred, may be used for sewing on any 
other style of buttons. 

Light and delicate materials are finished inside with 
white sarcenet or silk for bindings, facings, bone-casings, etc., 
but with durable dark dresses black is used, or the finishings 
are matched to the outside material if possible. In any 
case, the inside finishings should harmonise with both linings 
and outside material in colour, contrasts being considered 
in very bad taste ; and where neither can be matched 
and white is too delicate, a neutral tint should be chosen, 
and all the finishings should match, or a very patchy effect 
results. It adds to the good appearance of the inside of 
the bodice to sew on the bone-casings and fan the bones, 
and cross-stitch in the belt with a pretty, bright button-hole 
twist instead of cotton ; bright blue or crimson for black or 
tweeds, gold for brown, etc., are distinctly effective. 



CHAPTER II. 

TRYING-ON. 

Natural Position of Collar and Sleeve Seams on the Body — Run of Seams 
— Graceful and Ungraceful Lines — Slanting Seams — Straight Seams — 
Wrinkles— How to Deal with Them — The First Trying-on - The Out- 
lines — The Front — The Sleeve— Uneven Figures — Dispensing with the 
First Fitting-on — Trying on Too Often — Seams Running Awry — 
Trying-on Difficulties — Long or Short- Waisted Bodices — Alterations 
on Back or Front — Width Alterations — Back and Chest Too Wide or 
Too Narrow — Side Too Long or Too Short — Sleeve Misfits — Neck and 
Collar Defects — Differences in Figures. 

It is an exceedingly difficult thing to say where the seams 
and joinings of the different parts of a bodice should fall 
upon the figure, fashion having more to do with it, unfor- 
tunately, than common-sense — at least, so far as collar and 
sleeves go. When sloping shoulders " come in," common- 
sense goes out. 

The natural position for the collar on the figure is just 
above the two little bones which will be found at the front 
of the neck, and low enough at the back not to be affected 
by the movements of the head in bending ; this will place 
the line of setting-on just below the joint of head and back- 
bone. A collar set higher than this is very uncomfortable, 
and wrinkles always form below it. One inch and three- 
quarters at the front and two to two and a half inches at 
the back is the greatest depth of collar the ordinary figure 
can wear with comfort. 

The run of the arm-hole is controlled by the widths of 

the back and chest, and the lengths of side and shoulder, 

and, for ease and comfort, the seam where the sleeve is set 

in should certainly fall above the joint of arm and shoulder, 

£ 2 



52 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking. 

and from it come down at both back and front, curving 
slightly inwards, to miss the bands of muscle that make 
" hinges " for the arm, and thence curve underneath, keep- 
ing close to the body and leaving the joints free, that all move- 
ments may be made inside the sleeve-head. The prevalent 
fancy for narrow backs and wide chests has much to answer 
for in the matter of uncomfortable sleeves, as bodices cut to 
give this appearance to the figure naturally pull the elbow 
too high and drop the inside seam, making it hang long and 
full of wrinkles, and the sleeve is blamed when the defect 
is with the dress itself. 

The shoulder seams should turn the shoulder sufficiently 
to be quite out of view from the front of the figure ; it is a 
matter of personal taste or fashion to slope them more than 
this. All back seams and curves should slant down towards 
the centre of the back, and front ones (as darts) towards the 
centre of the front. Such slanting seams add to the apparent 
length of the body and give an appearance of breadth above 
and slenderness below which is essentially becoming to the 
figure. To assist this effect the waist should be as low as 
the shape will permit, and vanity would do well to bear in 
mind that nothing in Nature is lost ; that what is displaced 
at one part goes to make bulk at another ; and that the 
figure below a tightened waist is more prominent than is 
quite pleasing to the eye. 

Straight seams make the figure look equally thick at all 
parts, and detract considerably from its grace even if it is 
well-proportioned. The careful fitter will give these details 
her attention, and will give " run of seams " as much care 
as wrinkling or defective width or length. Some rules for 
dealing with the latter are given on page 58 ; but of all the 
bugbears with which a dressmaker has to deal in the trying- 
on, wrinkles are the worst. 

Wrinkles are of two kinds : those that are made by the 
straining apart of the bodice seams owing to the length of 
the tacking stitches, and which consequently will disappear 



Trying-on. 53 

when the bodice is machined, and those that come from 
some defect in the fitting of the bodice itself. 

Wrinkles or creases of the former kind generally form 
straight across each piece and can be followed to the tacking 
threads ; they will almost entirely disappear if the seam is 
held tightly and strained from both ends. If carefully ob- 
served, such wrinkles will be found to be pointed at both 
ends, whilst those arising from defects in fit are pointed at 
one end and blunt at the other, the blunt end indicating 
the fault. The best way of dealing with these is to open 
the seam and smooth the two sides together, pinning them 
down, when the extent and nature of the misfit will show 
itself. Before doing this, however, it would be wise to look 
and see if wide turnings are not the sole cause of the 
trouble, as excessive width or length chiefly causes wrinkles 
where carefully drafted patterns have been used to cut from. 
Bad or unequal joining — such as not making the waist-line 
run, or straining one side and fulling the other — is the most 
usual cause of the more troublesome wrinkles appearing, 
but occasionally they are caused by some peculiarity or dis- 
proportion in the figure being fitted, and should be dealt 
with as explained on page 65. 

The first trying-on should be done with the stuff inside, 
and the seams (the turnings) outside, as it is hardly pos- 
sible to gauge the degree of looseness if all the turnings 
are inside. When this has been ascertained, it is wise to 
turn it right side out and try it on that way also, to make 
sure that the stuff is sufficiently strained out to sit smoothly 
and is free from wrinkles, slips in this direction being easier 
to remedy now than later on. The same rules for trying-on 
apply to the sleeves. 

With full or fancy bodices, which would be crushed by 
trying-on wrong side out, the looseness must be very care- 
fully gauged from the right side ; great care should then be 
taken that the bodice is not filled up with wide turnings, 
and that they lie as flat as possible inside it. 



54 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking, 

The first step is to pin the front fitting-lines together at 
the neck, joining the neck curves exactly and pinning down 
to the bust, then to lift the bodice up a little at the front 
and pull it well down to the waist behind, or it will seem 
too long in the front and too short in the back when the 
fronts are brought together ; next, to bring the waist-line 
together and pin it there and below, and after that to close 
the front fitting-lines from the bust downward, once or 
twice lifting the bodice to the neck and putting the hand 
inside and gently pushing up the bust that it may not be 
pressed downward, but may fall into the proper part of the 
dress designed for it. When this is done the fitting of the 
outlines should be carefully gone over in order. It should 
be noticed if the waist of the back is in the right place and 
the tacking-lines of the neck are right (neither too high nor 
too low); if the width of the back seems suitable to the figure; 
if the side is the right length, setting well down to the waist 
and high enough under the arm ; if the curved side-piece sits 
smoothly and close to the figure at waist and arm-hole. The 
tacking-lines should be taken as the guide in these details, 
not the edges of the turnings, as, if the latter are broad they 
will make the dress appear large when it really is not so 
inside the fitting-lines. It is well to note if the waist keeps low 
enough round to the side and towards the front, as it is at 
the two straight seams at each side of the straight side-piece 
that the bad tracing referred to (page 7) now shows itself, 
making the waist of the dress short at the sides and much 
slacker than is required, and it often happens, \i the waist is 
too slack in this way, that the dress in the trying-on appears 
much too tight round the hips. Except for middle-aged, 
full figures, however, the tightening-up of the waist will be 
found to give all the hip-room needed ; but when the cause 
and remedy are both so obscure the defect is a very worrying 
one. 

The length of the front at the centre, from the highest 
point of shoulder down over the bust, and at the side between 



Trying-on. 55 

the back dart and first seam, should be noted, and also the 
fit from the arm-hole upwards over the shoulder ; next, 
see that the front of the neck is right and the chest the 
proper width ; then a little pull at the turnings of the seams 
under the arms will show if the bust is too slack, and at the 
waist the same. It is reasonable to look for this slackness, but 
it must be seen whether it is due to slack tacking together, 
as, if the stitches are large and loose, they let the pieces pull 
apart, and the bodice appears looser than it really is. With 
good tacking together it should be just slightly slack, as the 
machining tightens it up a little ; if it seems really very slack 
it would be better machined within the lines instead of upon 
them, or, on the other hand, machined outside them if it 
appears too tight. In making such alterations, either simply 
letting out or taking in, it is wisest to remedy the faults on 
the straight seams, leaving the curved ones and also the darts 
untouched. This is. better than letting off or taking in the 
bodice at the front edge, as altering at the front broadens or 
narrows the chest and spoils the fit of the arm-hole. 

The sleeve — also inside out — should be slipped up the 
arm, the inner seam pinned to the inset mark, and the elbow 
drawn into its proper place. The under sleeve is then 
smoothed up under the arm, the turnings turned over 
and length underneath ascertained, and the back seam 
pinned to the fitting-lines of the back to test its length; 
finally the head of the sleeve is drawn up to see that it will 
come well up to the fitting-lines on the shoulder, and that 
there is a little surplus fulness for gathering and easing. If 
the outside of the collar has been prepared, it also may be 
tried on ; it should be put round the neck, and the two 
ends brought together at the front and lightly pinned, and 
then the whole collar pressed down against the dress with 
the hand to see if it comes easily to the fitting-lines. 

With figures that are obviously a little different at one 
side from the other, the trying-on should be done right side 
out, or the alterations will be made on the wrong half of the 



56 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking. 

bodice. With such figures the prominence on one side is 
always accompanied by a corresponding depression on the 
other, and the considerate fitter prefers to fill up the hollow 
with cotton-wool, and so render the difference less con- 
spicuous, rather tnan tighten one half of the bodice and 
loosen the other, which accentuates painfully all that a 
judicious and kindly worker would naturally endeavour to 
conceal. 

Experienced workers, who can trust their patterns and 
their knowledge of the figure they are fitting, frequently 
dispense with the first fitting-on altogether. They prepare 
the front edges and make the fastenings, and machine and 
finish off all seams but the shoulder seams and those under 
each arm (which are to be left for alteration) ; these are tacked 
firmly together with the turnings outside the bodice instead 
of inside, and all the necessary alterations made upon them. 
There is much to be said in favour of this plan : it certainly 
keeps the bodice fresher and less handled, and the fit can 
be very closely controlled by the outside turnings, and in an 
ordinary way the seams indicated would give sufficient 
margin for half-inch alterations ; but the method should not 
be wholly relied upon by inexperienced workers, especially 
when they may be dealing with figures a little out of the 
ordinary run, and good turnings should be left at neck and 
shoulders and at the alteration seams in all cases. 

This is an excellent plan to follow where only one oppor- 
tunity of fitting-on can be relied upon (as with customers 
who live at a distance), and is much used by dressmakers in 
country towns, who prepare the bodice so far and also 
stitch up the inside seam of the sleeve and try on with 
one sleeve tacked into the arm-hole and the collar tacked 
on as well. In an ordinary case, two or even three tryings- 
on are considered necessary. It is well to remember, how- 
ever, that the rule for trying-on and alteration is " seldom 
and little," and that more misfits are due to too much 
alteration than to any other cause whatever. 



Trying-on. 57 

Seams running awry. — The seams running awry in a 
bodice otherwise apparently well-fitting is a very annoying 
defect, which it is often extremely difficult to trace to its 
real cause. It may arise in the first instance from careless 
cutting out of the pairs of backs or fronts, the lining or 
material of one running a little differently from the other 
with respect to the way of the thread. This is particularly 
likely to occur when the pieces are cut singly and have had 
to be carefully managed out of the material. Again, it may 
be due to unequal stretching of the outside material in tack- 
ing-out, or unequal joining of the seam, one side being 
fulled, the other strained. If due to unequal easing, it is 
more likely to arise from bad joining of the backs to 
the curved side-pieces than to bad joining of the centre 
back seam. Machining one half (either bodice or skirt) from 
the bottom up and the other half from the top down may 
lead to the same defect (this is particularly noticeable 
with skirt seams), and, as a matter of course, careless 
stitching may take in or let out the seams unequally, 
and make one half of the bodice quite different from 
the other. 

Unless the lengths of the side seams from the waist up 
to the arm-hole have been perfectly balanced, twisting may 
be caused by joining some pieces from the waist-line up- 
wards and others from the arm-hole downwards. Unequal 
joining of the neck curves is also a fruitful cause of seams 
running awry. 

The inside seams of sleeves will twist into view if the 
sleeve is not properly joined and the elbow formed, or if the 
length of the seam is too short either above or below the 
inside bend of the arm, or if the seam itself is too curved for 
the arm, or if the deepest part of the curve is in the wrong 
position (either above or below the inside bend of the arm 
instead of upon it), and of course if the inside seam is not 
set in at its proper place in the arm-hole it will come into 
sight; but that would be caused by incorrect joining of 



58 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking, 

bodice and sleeve rather than by a defect in either, and would 
only occur if the joining points were lost. Skirt seams run- 
ning awry are dealt with on page T56. 

Trying-on difficulties. — A dress may be short- waisted at 
the back either because the waist is too high (or in other 
words, the back cut too short) or because the arm-hole is 
too small. In the latter case, in addition to the basque 
of back hanging off at the waist, the neck-lines will appear 
too high and the arm-hole strained and uncomfortable. 

Where the back is too long, horizontal creases show 
across the back, level with the heights of side. 

If the bodice is too long- or too short-waisted to the 
extent of half an inch only, the alteration is easiest and most 
satisfactory if made at the shoulders, either by letting-down 
or taking-up. If the required alteration is more than half 
an inch, the waist-line should be raised or lowered as well, 
half of the alteration being made at the shoulders and the 
other half at the waist, and the spring below the waist run 
to the new waist-line. This lengthening the bodice by drop- 
ping it at the shoulders can only be managed if the turnings at 
neck, shoulders, and under-arm will allow. If they are not 
large enough, the whole alteration must be made by raising 
or lowering the waist. 

If the front is too long, it will hang back and seem quite 
too narrow below the waist, so that it can only be brought 
together there with difficulty. When pinned together, hori- 
zontal wrinkles appear between the darts, and also between 
the front dart and front edge. If too long between waist 
and side, horizontal wrinkles and sinking-in just at the bust 
show at the level of side, as if wadding were required. If 
too long from side-level to shoulder, wrinkles from neck to 
inset of sleeve appear, especially if the chest also is too wide. 
A too loose arm-hole will cause the shoulder to stand off and 
to wrinkle. If the excess of length is only between the front 
of the neck and waist (the length from waist to shoulder 
over bust being correct), the V-dart (shown on the front 



Trywg-oN. 59 

of bodice on Plate), taken up in the lining only, and the 
stuff smoothed down over it, will best clear it away. 

The sinking-in above the bust may be due to the figure 
requiring a little wadding at that part ; if already wadded, it 
is to be dealt with by cutting down the side and lifting the 
excess of length at the front shoulder. This lifting is also 
required if the wrinkles from shoulder-seam to inset appear. 
The alteration may be needed at the arm-hole end of 
the shoulder only, if the defect is caused by the arm- 
hole itself being too loose. Such wrinkles may also be 
caused by the stuff being insufficiently strained over the 
lining : smoothing-out is here the obvious remedy. 

It may be that only the front or only the back requires 
altering ; in either case the same rules for lengthening or 
shortening should be applied to those parts requiring 
alteration. When any bodice alteration has been made 
affecting the size of the arm-hole, the sleeve (if a plain one) 
must be modified too, or it will not fit the arm-hole after- 
wards. (See "Sleeve," page 46.) 

The slackness caused by the bust or waist, or both, being 
too large will be apparent, and requires no special descrip- 
tion ; if either or both are, on the contrary, too small, of 
course the bodice cannot be pinned together on the fitting- 
lines. If the waist is too, loose and ill-formed (see page 54), 
the bodice will appear too tight round the hips : here, form- 
ing the waist properly is the remedy — ietting-out at the 
hips will only aggravate the defect. 

It is better to make all width alterations (bust or waist 
too large or too small) as far as possible on the straight seams 
under the arms at each side of the straight side-piece, and to 
interfere with all curved lines and darts as little as possible. 

Slight figures, however, may need less curve out at bust 
than average ones (though some curve, however slight, is 
generally considered essential for comfort and good appear 
ance), and with such figures a little of the round of the front 
may be fitted off. (See " Differences in Figures," page 67.) 



6o The Elements of Modern Dressmaking. 

If the back is too wide, a new fitting-line should be 
tacked down from the shoulder the required distance inside 
the old line, gradually curving into it at the bottom of the 
arm-hole, and the excess width cut away ; the turnings should 
be utilised if the back is too narrow, and a new fitting-line 
made outside the original one. If the turnings are not large 
enough to admit of the whole of this last alteration being 
made upon them, the back seam must be let off; but 
as this is likely to increase the size of the neck-curve 
at the top of the back, it should be avoided if possible. 

If the chest is too wide, it may easily be remedied by 
tacking a new fitting-line from the end of the front shoulder, 
curving it in to the altered chest-width, and running it into 
the original arm-hole curve at the top of the side seam. This 
will necessitate moving the inset-mark back to the turn of 
the new curve. If the chest is too narrow, the turnings 
should be utilised if possible, a new curve being tacked and 
the inset-mark moved to it ; where the turnings are insuffi- 
cient, part of the alteration must be made by letting off the 
front from neck to bust, but this should not be resorted to 
unless it is unavoidable. 

Back and chest alterations should, if possible, be made 
at the arm-hole, where they will not affect the fit of any other 
part of the dress, if a little tightening of the arm-hole at the 
shoulder-end be excepted. 

It is obvious that a too long side will produce wrinkling 
and sinking-in across both back and front of the bodice at 
the level of arm-hole depth, and must be dealt with by 
cutting away there and tightening off the excess of length 
at the shoulder seam. A too short side does not make 
itself very apparent until the sleeve is put in, when it draws 
it down, keeping it away from the arm underneath and 
giving a feeling of great constraint across the top of the 
arm (see page 62). Using the turnings under the arm, 
or, if they are insufficient, raising the whole bodice by 
lowering the waist-line, taking up the shoulder seams and 



Trying-on. 6 i 

lowering the neck curves, is the only remedy short of cutting 
new side-pieces : this latter remedy is infinitely preferable. 

An obscure cause of a very serious defect of this class is 
when a too short side measure has been used to produce the 
pattern, the arm-hole size being correct. This puts too much 
slope on the shoulder seams, which in turn pushes the 
bodice up and causes the neck-lines to appear much too 
high at the throat, and the back and chest to seem too narrow, 
and, particularly, the shoulders themselves to look very 
much too short. The remedy is to let off the arm-hole ends 
of shoulders and lengthen the sides by using the turnings 
under the arms, when, if the alteration is sufficiently made, 
the bodice will sink into its proper place on the figure. 

The defects caused by the arm-hole being too small have 
already been dealt with. 

The sleeve. — The inside seam of the sleeve should come 
about an inch above the lowest part of the arm-hole, at the 
turn of the arm-hole curve on the front. For present fashion 
the back seam would strain and would not look well if it 
came much above the curved seam of the back ; to sit well 
it should fall a little below it. 

As the position of the inside seam is not so liable to 
changes of place, it is a more reliable joining-point than the 
back seam, but where it is preferred to rely upon the latter 
it would be set into that part of the curved side-piece which 
comes into the arm-hole, half-way between the curved back 
seam and the one below it. 

If the sleeves are too tight or too loose, all alterations 
should be made at the back seams ; they will then only 
affect the fitting-lines at the top of under and upper 
sleeves, which can easily be made to run again. The same 
rule applies if the letting-out or taking-in has to be made 
above the elbow only or below the elbow only. If slanting 
wrinkles appear across the lower part of the sleeve, accom- 
panied by a feeling of constraint and discomfort across the 
arm, it will generally be found that the sleeve has been 



62 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking. 

improperly put together, or that the elbow has i ot been made 
to lie, and that there is consequently insufficient elbow-room 
in it. 

If the inside seam of the sleeve, below the elbow, is 
properly curved, and the back seam is too straight for it, the 
part below the elbow will fit very closely to the arm, while 
the wrist will be too loose, and will look as if it has been 
stretched and spoilt by careless handling. Letting-out the 
back seam to the proper degree of curve required, not 
taking-in the wrist, is here the correct remedy. 

Straining and pulling across at the top of the inside seam 
may arise from quite a number of causes. The back of the 
dress may be too narrow and may be pulling the elbow 
higher than its proper position on the arm, or the elbow 
may be too short, or there may be too much curved out from 
the arm-hole end of the under-sleeve. Again, the fault 
may be with the inner seam itself, which may be too long 
altogether, or only too long from the inside bend upwards. 
Sometimes it is caused by the head of the sleeve not being 
cut high enough or sufficiently rounded to reach up to the 
shoulder easily, or not wide enough just across the thickest 
part of the arm (a very common cause of straining across 
when plain coat-sleeves are worn, and both the back and 
chest of the dress are liked narrow), or by the sleeve-head 
not being well eased to the bodice at the front of the arm- 
hole from the inset upwards. In addition to this list of 
possible causes, the fault may be in the arm-hole of the bodice 
itself, which is often insufficiently hollowed just at the inset, 
or too much hollowed at the top of the curved side-piece. 
The fitter must trace the cause first ; the necessary remedy 
will then present itself: either using the back and sleeve 
turnings to lower the elbow, or altering the position of the 
latter at the back seam, may serve, using the turnings at the 
top of the under-sleeve to fill up the hollow if too much 
curved there, or the turnings of the head to give more round 
and height, cutting down the length of the inside seam only, 



Trying-on. 63 

and running the lines back to the back seam and up to the 
head if the inside is too long. It is a more serious matter 
to get extra width if the sleeve is a close one. If bodice 
turnings have been utilised to their utmost, a little extra size 
may still be obtained by cutting down the top of the under- 
sleeve (which, however, gives an increase more of height 
than of width to the head of the upper), or the bodice itself 
may require a little tightening at the ends of those seams 
which come into the arm-hole (not at all an uncommon fault 
if the machining has been carelessly done and the bodice 
much handled). 

If the elbow only is too long or too short, the easiest 
remedy is to move it up or down the back seam. Where 
this is impossible owing to the shaping of the seam, it must 
be taken up or let down at the top, and the inside seam 
let down or hollowed out at the top to correspond, lest 
wrinkling across the top of the sleeve should appear. 

Such taking-up or letting-down will affect the length and 
width of the sleeve on the arm, and also the amount of 
sleeve-head that has to be eased to the arm-hole, and with 
a plain sleeve may prove troublesome if the alteration 
is excessive, leaving a poor, flat head to the sleeve. 

Neck and collar. — Defects in collar and dress-neck are 
so closely connected that it is difficult to disassociate 
them. Some of the defects produced by bad setting-on 
of the collar have been referred to on page 48 ; but 
where the dress-neck itself is too high, either all the way 
round or at the back only, the most careful setting-on will 
not prevent wrinkling just under the collar. In all cases 
where the neck seems too high, or the shape of the neck- 
curve defective, the best and most practical way of dealing 
with the difficulty is to put the collar round the wearer's 
neck, pin the ends of it together and press it down on the 
bodice, chalking a new fitting-line just below it and setting 
the collar on by this instead of by the imperfect neck- 
line. 



64 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking. 

Where, on the contrary, the neck is too low all the way 
round, an ordinary collar will not fit at all, but will appear 
too small at the lower edge, though large enough at the top 
one. The best remedy (if there are no available turnings to 
utilise) is to cut a new collar, deeper and much more curved 
than the old one, and which will consequently sit lower on 
the neck without being looser at the top. If the dress is 
only too low at the back, the new collar may be cut more 
curved and deeper at the back only — such collars often fill 
up rather hopeless-looking necks if carefully set on — but of 
course this can only be done to a certain extent ; and if the 
neck is very low it must be filled up with a yoke of lining 
and stuff, and trimming or a lie -down collar used to cover 
up the misfit. 

The collar must be set on rather " easy " for the back ol 
the dress, or the wearer feels as if the head is being dragged 
forward. Where the dress is really too low at the back and 
right at the front, the ordinary collar will press against the 
front of the throat, which in turn will pull the bodice 
up behind and give a feeling of great discomfort. 

If the neck is either too large or too small for the wearer, 
the remedy must be either taking-in or letting-out at the 
front edge or the shoulder seams, or the top of the centre 
seam of the back ; the latter should not be altered if it is 
possible to avoid doing so, as taking-in the centre back seam 
is likely to give the figure a round-shouldered appearance. A 
little seam at the turn of the neck in the lining only, and 
the stuff smoothed up over it, is an excellent way of com- 
bining close fit with ease at this point. 

If, however, the largeness is due either to a badly-formed 
neck curve or to stretching during the making, taking-in or 
letting-out will not remedy it ; for the former the plan of 
finding a new fitting-line by putting the collar round the 
neck and chalking below it, as already explained, is the best 
way of finding the required alteration. 

The stretching is more serious and difficult to remedy. 



Trying-on. 65 

The best plan is gently to draw the material between the fingers 
alternately the weft way and the warp way of the stuff, to 
endeavour as far as possible to replace the threads in their 
original positions ; if this will not serve, try to take out the 
little seam in the lining, just at the turn of the neck already 
referred to, and either draw the stuff well up over it or fit 
away stuff and lining at the neck-end of the shoulder seam. 

Some of the causes of the collar overlapping at the front 
ends have already been stated ; but it may also arise from 
the collar being too curved for the neck and not sufficiently 
shaped off at the front ends, or too straight for the neck of 
the dress, or from its being set on too high at the back for 
the front curve, or too low at the front for the back curve. 

Good workers strain the stuff up and press the lining 
down whilst setting the collar on, to guard against a slight 
fulness of the material showing under the edge after the 
sewing-on has been completed. Should such a fulness 
appear, it indicates that more smoothing-out of the material 
is necessary. 

Differences i?i figures. — In spite of careful measuring and 
all care in the subsequent processes, the bodice may not 
fit perfectly owing to some peculiarity in the figure. Thus 
the very upright figure with short back and full bust may 
need the back lowered, and the front lengthened, to take 
the shoulder seams further back ; whilst another class of 
erect figure, with long, slender, rather hollow back and waist, 
may require the back lengthened. With such figures it 
needs to be made very long — apparently longer than the 
measure taken by the tape in the ordinary way indicates. 

The stooping figure has a slight bust, long and wide back, 
and short and narrow front, and wrinkles would probably 
show across the bust and under the arm, level with the top 
of the side, and also down the front of the shoulder; 
whilst the back would be short-waisted and form large 
wrinkles across, also at level of side, though the length 
may still be seen pushed up to the neck, which is much too 

F 



66 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking. 

high for comfort. The fitter can either take out the little 
waist seam in the lining to raise the waist-line of the front 
where it joins the side-piece, or take up a little seam from 
the inset down to the top of the back dart, also in the 
lining, and stretch the material down over it, drawing out 
the surplus fulness at the centre of the back dart ; or the dress 
can be wadded well round the arm-holes and down the 
hollow front, in preference to stretching-out. It must be 
remembered that wadding is a great boon to those hollow- 
shouldered or spare-chested people who, without its use, 
have to choose between untidy and unsightly wrinkles down 
the front shoulders, or a dress painfully tight across the 
chest from arm to arm. Such figures may need two or 
three thicknesses of wadding to give comfort, combined 
with a smoothly-fitting front shoulder ; but of course these 
are only occasionally met with. 

The wrinkles across the back at the top of the side- 
seam arise from the pressure of the shoulder-blades on the 
straight lines of the seams ; if the backs are cut half an 
inch longer than the curved side-pieces, and, at two inches 
below the top of the curved side-seam, the extra length is 
eased in over a space of two to two and a half inches, the 
strain will disappear, especially if, in addition, the back 
shoulder is cut half an inch longer than the front one, and 
is well eased on to it, the front one being strained as much 
as possible during the process, and any little excess let off 
at the arm-hole, and afterwards pared away. 

Either stout or square-shouldered figures require less 
slant (or slope) on the shoulder-seams than slight ones, and 
may need these letting-off at the arm-hole ends only, whilst 
the slight figure requires a dress much higher at the back of 
the neck and with the front neck-curve (at the turn of the 
neck) much more hollowed out ; and the short-backed, 
upright figure, again, not only because the bust is larger, but 
because the head is set further back on the shoulders, needs 
far more outward slope from neck to bust than the slight 



Trying-on. 67 

figure, for which the smallest curve between neck and waist 
may suffice. 

All large, matronly figures, whether well or ill formed, have 
short sides and large shoulders, and generally have less hollow 
at the front of the waist than younger, slight figures; with such 
figures the fronts will wrinkle across between the darts, and 
also between the darts and front edges, unless they are either 
thrown out in the drafting or let out in the fitting-oh for 
about half an inch all the way from the bust to the bottom 
of the bodice. This should be done, of course, without 
altering the shape of the fronts, care being taken to preserve 
the run of the lines in every other respect. Such figures 
require a fair-sized cross-seam or dart at the bust, in the 
lining only. Where the bust is inclined to spread away 
under the arms, the chest of the bodice should be made as 
wide as the figure can carry, and the hollows wadded in such 
a way as to keep the bust as forward as possible ; this is 
helped by carrying the bones in the side seams as high 
as comfort will permit 



CHAPTER III. 

FASTENINGS. 

Standard Fastenings — Fancy and Ornamental Fastenings — Suitability to 
Material and to Prevailing Fashions in Trimming — Buttons and Button- 
holes — Cutting and Making of Ordinary Button-holes — Tailors' Button- 
holes— Round-ended Button-holes — Arrangements of Fronts for Hooks 
and Eyelet Holes— Hooks and Made Loops of Silk or Thread — Hooks 
and Wire Eyes— Lacing— Blind Fastenings— Ornamental or Fancy 
Fastenings. 

Fastenings for dresses may be divided into three classes : 
ordinary, or standard fastenings, which never go entirely out 
of fashion ; blind fastenings, used only for lined blouses, or 
full-fronted washing bodices, or where it is de rigueur to en- 
tirely conceal the opening ; and ornamental fastenings, which 
are generally decorative, and nearly always necessitate the 
dress being fastened invisibly by a standard fastening. ^ 

Ordinary or Standard Fastenings, 
Buttons and button-holes. 
Hooks and eyelet-holes. 
Hooks and made loops of silk or thread. 
Hooks and wire eyes (edge to edge). 
Lacing. 

Blind Fastenings. 
The linings only are fastened together, the outer material 

being quite separate from them, and drawn down or 

across to quite conceal the closing. 

Ornamental or Fancy Fastenings. 
Buttons and cord loops or worked loops, for wrists of sleeves. 
Braid froggings and barrel buttons \ R a secwe 

Lacing over buttons V standard fasten- 

Lacing through rings f i„g as well. 

Fastening with clasps / 

Fastening with studs and eyelet-holes (for shirt blouses 
with stiffened front hems). 



Fastenings. 69 

Buttons and button- holes are suitable for cottons and 
firm woollens, and are often used for silk, velvet, and other 
firm, rich stuffs, very handsome and costly buttons being 
often chosen in the latter case. For washing-dresses, buttons 
are not simply sewn on, as with those of other material, 
the method described on page 161 being usually adopted. 

Hooks and eyelets are used for full-fronted bodices of 
soft stuffs, whether woollen or silk, also occasionally on 
cotton, though hooks are unsuitable for any material that 
will require washing (see page 160). 

Hooks and eyes, edge to edge, are used for loosely-woven 
stuffs, such as cheviots, hopsacks, or open stuffs that fray 
easily, and are not safe to cut or pierce for button-holes 
or eyelets. (Occasionally the fashion prevails of fastening 
such materials with hooks and eyelets, and buttons are 
sewn down the edge of the right front to simulate a buttoned 
front, imitation button-holes of fine cord being also sewn 
on to make the illusion more complete.) Also for braided 
fronts of dresses or jackets, where invisible fastenings are 
required, especially where the braiding makes it desirable 
that both sides of the front should meet exactly at the 
centre line of the figure, or when one front rising above 
the other, as buttoned fronts do, would spoil the general 
effect of the ornamentation. 

Hooks and made loops of silk or thread are used chiefly 
for collar, placket, etc., or where one portion of the dress 
fastens across another, as bodice fronts draped across from 
shoulder to hip, etc. They were at one time the standard 
fastening for silk dresses fastening at the back, as they were 
easier to close than hooks and eyes, but they have now 
fallen largely out of use. 

Lacing is generally used for rich stuffs, such as silk, satin, 
brocade, etc., and also for evening dresses of any material. 
It is the favourite fastening for dresses closing at the back. 
Hooks and loops seem the only possible fastening for 
presses of lace, grenadine, and all light, gauzy fabrics of the 



70 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking. 

kind, as it hardly seems safe to pierce them for eyelets or 
holes ; but loops pull back, and do not hold a close-fitting 
plain bodice well together. It is therefore better to make 
eyelet-holes through the silk backing and lining only, turning 
the lace or grenadine under quite close to them and slip- 
stitching it down. Where this method cannot be adopted, 
loops or eyelet-holes would be used according to the style 
in which the bodice is made ; but wherever it is possible to 
do so, it is best to choose a full soft style and blind-fasten 
the linings firmly beneath, drawing the folds across and 
slightly securing them with the trimming, or an ornamental 
fastening of some kind, such as a bow, pair of clasps, etc. 
Where eyelet-holes are made in very thin, soft fabrics, or 
those inclined to fray, a small eye should be put behind 
each one and the overcasting worked over it ; this 
strengthens the holes and prevents their tearing open. 

The arrangement of the front edges for buttons and 
button-holes is detailed on page 37. 

Button-holes for dress-bodices should be round at the 

end where the pull comes and square at the other ; they look 

most complete at the square end if it is 

finished with a little loop or bar worked 

across it. The loop should be free from 

Fig. 2.— Button-hole the dress and about five stitches long : 

(ordinary) for Dress - , . , -iii-ii i 

Bodice. the purl of the stitch should be drawn 

directly upwards from the work, not 
lying either towards the hole or away from it. 

Several varieties of button-hole stitch are given (p. 114), 
any of which may be correctly used. The growing appre- 
ciation of tailor-made garments has created a strong feeling 
for button-holes with an open rounded end, such as tailors 
make ; and with the thicker materials worn during the time 
plain lined skirts have been in vogue, and with the small 
buttons, pear-shaped behind but flat on the face, which have 
been used during the period, they have been found necessary, 
and are now preferred even for buttons with long shanks, 



Fastenings. 71 

Tailors snip a triangular wedge from the end of the hole 
and work it into shape as they go, the gimp or fine cord 
which they keep at the edge, and work over, aiding the 
shaping materially ; but with soft dress stuffs this plan has its 
dangers, and the use of a punch to clearly cut out the scrap 
of hole has much to recommend it. Or a good round-ended 
button-hole of this class can be made on dress stuffs by 
adopting the following method : — Mark 
the button-holes first; pierce an eyelet- 
hole where the round end of the button- 
hole is to come, and lightly overcast it ; Fig ' w nk~ B open n ' h end 
run the button-hole and cut it, putting (Tailor style). 

the scissors-point into the eyelet-hole and 
cutting the eyelet-hole to start the slit : g ^illWlI'lll'lllPllj 
work all m button-hole stitch, finishing ^^ 
the square end with the small loop, as Fig BuTton°-ho?e. ended 
already explained. 

The marks for buttons should be twice their own diameter 
apart, this leaving a space equal to their own diameter be- 
tween them ; for ordinary small buttons this space is usually 
one inch. Button-holes must be just a shade longer than the 
diameter of the buttons if the latter are flat, or a diameter 
and a half if they have rounded surfaces, such buttons re- 
quiring a longer hole to allow them to slip through. The 
edge of the button-hole front should be turned rather more 
than half the diameter of the button beyond the fitting-line 
(the ends of the holes coming quite to the fitting-lines), if 
the buttons are not to hang over. 

For hooks and eyelet-holes, or hooks and loops, the 
fronts of the bodice are turned exactly as for buttons and 
button-holes, as far as the fitting-lines are concerned, the 
hooks being sewn on the right front, and the eyelet-holes 
or loops worked on the left one. The left-hand front is 
prepared exactly the same as for buttons, with from three- 
quarters of an inch to an inch of stand beyond the fitting- 
line ; a ribbon or length of seam binding is tacked down 



72 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking. 

to make a firm foundation, and then the silk facing is 
neatly hemmed in. The eyelet-holes are worked through 
the silk facing ; the loops, if desired, may be worked 
on the firm binding before the facing is hemmed in, that no 
stitch may be visible inside. The right front is turned in at 
a quarter-inch outside the fitting-line, but the piece turned 
in is left quite an inch wide, and needs slightly fulling at 
the bust and snipping across at the waist to make it lie 
smoothly ; five tiny snips or cuts should give ease without 
leaving a thin place at the waist. The stuff and lining 
turned over should be fastened firmly to the lining of 
the front by a kind of rough herring-bone stitch, worked 
from right to left, which is used in dressmaking to 
secure edges that are afterwards to be covered with 
a binding (see page no). One stitch takes the lining 
only, the next is through the stuff and lining turned over 
and the lining of the front as well, taking up all but the 
outside material. The raw edges being fastened down, the 
hooks are next firmly sewn on through the two little holes 
or rings, and across the shank close to the turn, the stitches 
taking up all but the outside stuff. This latter point is 
essential, as, if only sewn to the stuff and lining turned 
over, they would have no pull on the bodice itself, and 
would draw out and show between the front edges, instead 
of bringing them closely together. The hooks are put with 
the turn to come just to the fitting-lines (quite a quarter of 
an inch under the edge of the front), and being sewn on, the 
sarcenet facing or a ribbon is slipped up over the sewing as 
high as the turn of the hooks, and hemmed closely down. 
The other edge is hemmed to the lining of the front, far 
enough back to cover all the rough sewing, only leaving 
visible as much of the hook as clips into the eye. 

If the lining only of the front is turned over the quarter- 
inch outside the fitting-line, and a fine firm piping cord run 
in the edge and securely fastened at top and bottom, slightly 
tight for the length, and then the stuff turned over and the 



Fastenings. 73 

front finished as previously explained, it is a distinct 
mprovement to the outside appearance of the bodice, and 
the corded edge, being tightened, sets closely over the ends 
of the hooks and reduces the risk of their gleaming through ; 
if well done, it conceals them entirely. 

Some very neat workers press apart the two thicknesses of 
wire which make the hook, and overcast all that is visible with 
silk or cotton matching the dress in colour, and do the same 
with the wire eyes. This is only necessary when the fronts 
of the bodice are quite plain and the gleam of the metal is 
likely to show, as with hooks and eyes edge to edge ; and 
even there care in setting the fastenings well under the edge 
will save the actual necessity for a very laborious piece of 
work, though, as far as appearances go, the overcasting is 
effective. It should be done in " loop-stitch." 

Eyelet-holes are made on the left-hand front, through the 
fitting-line, seam binding, and facing, and should be three- 
quarters of an inch apart, or half an inch if 
very close fastenings are preferred. The holes 
are pierced from the outside with a stiletto, 
and closely overcast with button-hole twist, 
the stitch being firmly drawn up to tighten 
the edge of the hole and keep it well opened 
and to shape. 

No. 1 (Fig. 5) is for eyelet-holes to be used 
with hooks, but loop-stitch is preferable for F . _ E 
laced holes, as more ornamental. Button- h° le s- i, foi 
hole stitch is not advisable for eyelet-holes, Lacing^ 
as it cannot be drawn up closely, and the 
purls fill the hole if it is worked in the usual way, but 
pretty ornamental eyelet-holes are made by first piercing 
and closely overcasting, and finally finishing off with button- 
hole stitch, the purl drawn back to make a raised cording 
a little way in from the edge. 

Eyelet-holes for lacing may be as close as half an inch if 
preferred so. 




74 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking. 

Loops also are made on the fitting-line, the length of 
the loop the same way as the length of the line, if they are 
used for front fastenings, and the foundation stitches should 
certainly be made on the seam binding, though not neces- 
sarily through the facing as well. Loops should be a 
quarter of an inch long, and four strands of silk used for 
the foundation threads, on which the " loop " stitch (see 
page 1 08) should be closely worked, the twist or purl being 
drawn to form itself at the outside edge of the loop. Rapid 
workers pass the eye of the needle under the 
foundation strands, as the point is more likely 
to catch in the material. Extra strength and 
solidity are given to this fastening if the first 
and last stitches of the overcasting are made 
through the material, lining, and seam binding 
as well as over the foundation strands, thus 
relieving the latter of some of the strain. If 
loops are worked on a bodice fastening across, 

a ribbon should be put inside and the stitches 
Fig. 6.— Loop- ... . _ : _ 

making. worked upon it, to relieve the soft dress 

material of the strain, and the length of the 
loops should follow the direction of the line of closing. 

For hooks and eyes, edge to edge, both fronts should be 
turned exactly by the fitting-lines, or the merest shade 
beyond them, and both edges finished with a stitching 
at the edge and a slot for edge-bones, or the slot in the 
lining only as described under " Lacings " (p. 76), the bones 
to stop at the height of the darts. Quite an inch of 
stuff and lining is turned over on each front, and roughly 
fastened down to the lining, and in every respect the right- 
hand front is finished as explained for hooks, whether it is 
finished with hooks only, or with hooks and eyes placed alter- 
nately. If the latter, the eyes are sewn through the two 
little rings and also across each side of the eye proper, the 
sarcenet facing hiding both sewings. The left-hand front is 
turned over for the edge-bone, rough herring-boned down 




Fastenings. 75 

raw-edged, and the eyes sewn on through all but the 
outside stuff, through the rings, and across each side of the 
eye itself, as already explained, or hooks and eyes are sewn 
on alternately, if that arrangement is preferred. A flap or 
wrap must now be sewn to the lining of the left-hand front, 
to come under the fastenings when closed, and take the 
place of the button-stand, which cannot be cut in one with 
the front when either hooks and eyes (edge to edge) or 
lacings are used. High-class workers make the wrap of 
single stuff and line it with the silk facing, which is cut 
wider and left open at the inner edge ; the stuff only is 
stitched along by the sewing-on of the eyes, the sarcenet 
then being hemmed down to the lining to make a com- 
plete finish to all. A strip of the stuff on the cross, about 
three or four inches wide, makes a neat wrap, as it is thin, 
and the cross yields to the curves of the figure. The two 
raw edges should be placed together, and run or stitched 
along to the front just where the eyes are caught down to 
it, the sewing taking up all but the outside stuff. The 
silk facing can then be placed over the raw edges and 
the lines of stitching and hemmed along, and the other edge 
hemmed in to the lining as before. With thick stuffs the 
wrap is often of single stuff only, and either bound with 
china ribbon, pinked, or overcast ; its usual width is one 
inch beyond the bodice edge. 

The chief objection to ordinary hooks and eyes is their 
tendency to come unfastened ; various plans of arranging 
the fastenings to prevent this are in general use, but with- 
out any large measure of success. Lately, however, a good 
deal of attention has been given to hooks, and several very 
useful inventions have been brought before the public in 
the way of patent hooks which will not come unfastened. 
Some of these have a steel spring in the turn, and others 
are bent in such a way that the eye or eyelet-hole will not 
slip from them without firm pressure. Hooks in use in 
dressmaking are — Ordinary bodice hooks, skirt hooks; patent 



76 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking. 

hooks — " Duplex " patent hooks (bent turn), " de Long's 
patent hooks and eyes, " Nautilus " hooks and eyes 
(large and square, for attaching skirt to bodice), etc. 

For lacings, both fronts are turned in by the fitting-lines, 
or the merest shade beyond them, and a row of fine 
machine-stitching in silk made close to the edge (about 
one-eighth of an inch in), through which a fine cord may be 
drawn the whole length of the bodice, if preferred, though 
this is not usual. The turnings should be snipped at the 
waist to ensure ease, and a second row of stitching 
made about a quarter of an inch inside the first one. 
The distance between the two rows of stitching should 
make a slot wide enough to allow a length of whalebone 
or a narrow edge-bone to be easily slipped into it, but not 
wider, and the slits at the waist, which are necessary if the 
dress is to sit close there, do not matter, as they will be 
covered by the silk facing, which is now to be hemmed 
firmly along the first line of machine-stitching, and also to 
the lining of the front as usual. Behind the slots for 
the bones come the eyelet-holes, which are to be made 
exactly opposite each other and half an inch apart. A 
narrow ribbon or seam binding may be put behind them to 
strengthen them, but it should be tacked very easily down 
the length, especially below the bust. The same caution 
applies to the facing, which should be well fulled on and 
be amply long when the bones are pushed in and the 
fronts strained down to their utmost extent. The ribbon 
should be inside the facing and quite out of sight. The 
eyelet-holes will of course be worked through the facing 
as well as through the ribbon, and after they are made the 
left front is finished with a wrap, one of single material on 
the cross lined with sarcenet giving the best finish. 

The bones should be very narrow, rounded at the top 
and slanted for the points, and should have holes pierced 
through both ends. The upper end should be sewn firmly to 



Fastenings. 77 

the inside of the slot by a " fan " of stitches, and quite an inch 
from the top, if it is an evening bodice, or the edge will stand 
off from the figure • and high bodices lacing up the whole 
length of the front should be carefully arranged in this par- 
ticular, one and a half inches below the collar not being 
too low for the end of the bone, as if it is the full length 
it presses against the throat, and may do it lasting injury. 
The upper ends being secured, the bones are pressed up 
gently into the slot and the bodice smoothed down over 
them till the fronts are thoroughly well strained down ; each 
lower end is then secured to the inside of the slot, and the 
bodice edge turned up just sufficiently far below it to prevent 
the push of the bone showing. Slips of thin cane are 
sometimes used instead of bone for edge-bones, and are 
both strong and flexible. Sometimes a second bone is 
put behind the eyelet-holes, making two bones to each 
front ; in this case it is better to make the slots through a 
shaped piece of firm silk or linen, cut as wide as may be 
required, put in easily up the length, taken in with the first 
line of machining to fix it (close to which the portion of the 
fronts turned over may be cut away inside). The slots being 
made, and the linen covered entirely by the facing, the 
eyelet-holes may be worked through all. 

Where the machining on the face is disliked, stitching by 
hand may be substituted, or the slots may be made in the 
lining only and the stuff smoothed over, but it is apt to bag 
off slightly and give an unfinished look to the fronts if they 
are untrimmed. 

High bodices are seldom laced quite up to the neck ; it 
is more usual to have some variety of fulness down to the 
bust or a little below it, fastened by hooks and eyelet-holes, 
and the lacing below the bust only. In this case the bones 
should only come as high as the darts, or the upper ends 
will stand off. 

For blind fastenings, whether buttons and button-holes 
or hooks and eyes are used, the outside of each lining front 



78 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking. 

should be first faced down with a strip of the outer material, 
about three inches wide, which is laid on the lining, and the 
front fitting-lines tacked through. The inner edges of the 
strips are hemmed or machined down, and the front edges 
would then be turned, faced, and finished for the required 
fastening exactly as if the lining fronts were completely 
covered with stuff, except that the fastenings would be 
farther apart, and the loose fronts of material folded or shaped 
across to conceal them. 

Occasionally the outer fronts are also fastened invisibly, 
tiny buttons and button-holes being used. The buttons are 
sewn on the outside of the loose front, which is then 
turned over to allow the button to pass into the hole from 
the outside. When closed, neither buttons nor holes are 
visible. 

The pull of such blind fastenings would show with close- 
fitting bodices ; they would therefore be quite unsuitable for 
them. 

Edge-to-edge fastenings are less likely to wrinkle and 
draw apart at the waist if a straight line from bust to point 
of bodice is used for the front fitting-lines. The extra size 
can be taken out in the front of the first dart. Great care 
should be taken in trying-on bodices which are to be so 
fastened, as excessive length between bust and waist is the 
chief cause of gaping and drawing apart. 



CHAPTER IV. 

BONES AND BONING. 

Why Bones are used— Essentials of Good Bones — Whalebone — The Old- 
fashioned Method of Sewing-in — Bones in the curved Seams and the 
centre Seam of the Back, etc. — Curling-up and its Remedy — Natural 
and Artificial Substitutes for Whalebone : their Defects — French Horn 
— Cased Steels and Edge-bones — Antarctic Bone — Feather-bone — Fin- 
bone, etc. — Different Methods of Attachment to Bodice — Usual Prices. 

With any attempt to wear a very close-fitting unboned bodice, 
it is soon evident that the movements of the arms and 
shoulders lift the waist out of place, and, as there is no 
weight or tension to draw it back again, it remains up, and 
the surplus length thus created forms itself into a mass of 
fine wrinkles across each piece between the seams. The 
stitching of the seams also yields to the strain of the figure, 
as there is no downward strain to counteract it, and every 
stitch draws slightly apart, increasing the wrinkling in the 
same proportion as the lengths of the seams are shortened. 
Bones are used in bodices to obviate this. The use of the 
bones is therefore to keep the length of each seam smooth, 
and to slightly stiffen it, that the waist may remain in its 
right place and the bodice sit close to the figure without 
wrinkling. They also serve to keep the lower part (some- 
times called the basque) of short (pointed or round) bodices 
from curling up, and, sewn under the buttons, keep the 
fronts smooth and the points of the bodice from rising 
up. They do not, as a rule, improve the appearance of a 
bodice that fits imperfectly, and should not be relied 
upon to remedy defects, which they are more likely to 



80 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking. 

accentuate, especially if these take the form of seams sprung 
out sharply from the waist, or badly turned there in the 
machining. With hooks and eyes (edge to edge) or with 
lacings they stiffen the bodice edges so that they can be 
drawn closely together and set smoothly down the figure, 
instead of drawing apart between each hook and eye or 
each pair of eyelet-holes, as unstiffened edges would do. The 
bone or substitute should be thin, not to take up much 
room inside the bodice ; flexible, that it may readily adapt 
itself to the curves of the figure ; elastic, that it may not 
be easily bent out of shape, but if turned up will spring 
back again ; and above all, strong, fine in grain, and cut 
exactly with the fibre, that it may not easily snap. Brittle 
bones in a bodice are a source of great annoyance. 

Whalebone unites in itself all the good qualities above 
enumerated, and is therefore the standard bone used in 
dressmaking. 

It was at one time a fashion to join the bodice seams in 
such a way as to bring the turnings outside, thus leaving 
the inside quite neat, and to finish on the face by pressing 
the seam open, and hemming a ribbon down each side to 
entirely conceal the turnings. To keep all smooth, a 
length of whalebone was tacked to top and bottom of the 
seam, outside the dress but under the ribbon. This was 
when the curved seams only were piped or corded, and 
a survival of it may yet be traced in the habit of fixing 
the under-arm seam with the turnings outside for trying 
on, which many dressmakers still keep. In time people tired 
of the bone outside the bodice ; it therefore went inside, and 
for a long time was stitched between the turnings, which were 
not then laid open, but finished fourfold, the two stuffs and 
two linings being overcast together with the bones between 
them, as may still be seen in the work of old-fashioned 
country dressmakers, who cling tenaciously to the old rule, 
and enclose the bones in the darts, where in time they push 
through to the outside of the bodice and ruin it utterly. 



Bones and Boning. 8i 

The method answered well enough with the short-waisted 
bodice of the period, as now with any bodice not ex- 
tending below the waist (though such thick seams are 
clumsy and apt to show through if the fit is close) ; but 
where there is a basque extending below the waist, if 
only for a few inches, the curve of the seam presses the 
ends of the bones forward, and they soon make their way 
through the outside material and lining. They are now 
therefore always put quite inside the seams, and both ends 
left loose for from one-half to three-quarters of an inch, 
that the push of the bone may be on the ribbon in which 
it is encased, and not against the bodice itself. 

In high-class work a strong narrow ribbon (galloon, silk 
binding, or for very delicate fabrics good sarcenet ribbon) 
is made into casings for the bones. These should reach 
about as high as the level of the bust at all seams; it 
is not wise to carry them higher at back or front, where 
the curves of the figure begin to recede ; but, if preferred, 
they may be carried up to within two inches of the side- 
level on the two straight seams under the arms. The 
end of the ribbon should be turned over and sewn 
down each side for a full inch, thus forming a little pocket, 
against the top of which the bone presses. It is then 
finely herring-boned, cross-stitched, or hemmed down each 
side to the turnings only of the seams, an extra inch of 
fulness being allowed in the length, which is to be eased 
on at the waist and for about two inches above and below 
it. The sewing-in should be stopped about three-quarters 
of an inch short of the top of the casing, the pocket being 
left free, and not fastened to the bodice in any way, and 
the same at the bottom end, where an extra half-inch of 
ribbon is also allowed, which is afterwards to be turned up 
over the end of the bone and stitched to it to keep it from 
pressing down to the edge of the bodice and pushing 
against it. 

If the ribbon is folded exactly down the length and the 
G 



82 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking. 

fold pinched along, it assists the worker to keep the centre 
of the casing exactly on the seam ; and if any difficulty is 
experienced in regulating the quantity of fulness about the 
waist, the edges of the casings at that part may be whipped 
along and drawn up into the required length first, the 
whipping thread to be drawn out after the sewing is done. 
The rules of extra fulness at the waist and above and 
below it, and of loose ends, must be carried out, whether 
casings or cased bones are used. For the latter, the surplus 
fulness of the casing should be pushed towards the waist 
and eased on there, and a little above and below it. The 
rest of the casing should be cross-stitched, herring-boned, 
or hemmed down to the seam without strain, the dress being 
held over the hand to keep the bones rounded at the waist 
whilst the stitching is done. This certainly causes the 
material to get more handling than the use of bone casings, 
as the latter can be stitched in with the bodice lying on the 
knee or table, the turnings only being held in the fingers, 
whilst with cased bones it is necessary to hold each seam 
on the hand and strain it. With pile fabrics, or those easily 
crushed or soiled, this is a serious consideration, and is, no 
doubt, the reason why cased bones, steels, etc., are con- 
sidered to belong to an inferior class of work. The double 
casing, too, makes an increase of bulk, very slight, but 
taken into account by particular wearers. 

The strips of whalebone require cutting into suitable 
lengths for use (one half-inch longer than the casing after 
the latter has been sewn in, which has shortened it to 
the extent of the quantity fulled at the waist, and turned 
over at the ends) ; the ends are rounded and scraped smooth, 
and a little hole pierced in each, which is done either 
with the point of a pair of scissors or a hot knitting- 
needle ; or, in large establishments, with a punch, which 
stamps out a clear hole ; those bought in dozens or sets are 
generally already rounded and pierced. 

The bones being prepared, are slipped up between the 



Bones and Boning. 83 

casing and the seam, the top ends into the little pockets, 
where they are fastened by the " fan " of five or seven 
stitches (shown at page 113), the half-inch of extra length 
left on the bottom of the casing being turned up under each 
bone and securely sewn to it. This presses the length of 
the bone up into that part of the ribbon which has been 
eased at the waist, and slightly rounds it there. They 
should then be gently bent to the shape they will take 
when the bodice is on, the bend being a very little 
above the waist, that it may set the dress well down as it 
comes to the figure. Some workers adopt the plan of 
soaking the bones in hot water, and shaping them, whilst 
softened, to the curves of the figure. Either plan prevents 
straining of the seams until the bones have shaped them- 
selves to the body of the wearer. The upper and lower 
ends should also be slightly bent inward, to prevent them 
from showing through the outside stuff, as they are apt to 
do if this slight precaution has not been taken. 

For perfectly plain bodices there should be a bone at 
every seam, with an extra one to each front (the casing sewn 
to the lining only) between the first seam and back dart, and 
one under the buttons also. (See Fig. 1, page 11.) 

The question of deciding between bones or no bones in 
the centre seam of the back and the two curved seams is one 
that continually presents itself in different aspects, owing to 
changes of fashion. Where the back basque of the bodice 
is box-pleated, full in any way, or has a lapped centre seam, 
and is not sewn together much below the waist, it is wiser 
to stop the bones at the waist, or just sufficiently below it to 
keep the seams smooth. Pointed bodices are apt to curl 
up, and some dressmakers simplify this by using a triangular 
weight instead of a bone for the centre back seam, the 
curved seams being boned. The weight is very useful for 
short points where there is no centre back seam, as in Eton 
jackets, etc. The curved seams are likely to pull after 
boning, if the line of curve is one that begins to round 

G 2 



84 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking. 

immediately above the waist — the straight bone does not lie 
to it, and cannot be manipulated ; in that case boning must 
be dispensed with. 

Many wearers, especially stout ones, find the front points 
of the bodice curl up and stay up in wear ; this is remedied 
by sewing a strong piece of elastic to the bone, one end at 
the point and the other end to the bone again, nearly as 
high as the waist. The elastic should be about half an inch 
shorter than the bone, to curve it in a little, and when the 
pressure of the figure comes against it the point is kept 
firmly down. The elastic does not answer for the back 
point ; owing to the finishing of the back of the skirt at 
the waist there is nothing firm to press it out, and it remains 
bent. 

For long bodices the bones, whether in casings or 
ready cased, end about four or five inches below the waist, 
and it is essential that the lower ends (as well as the upper) 
should be free from the seam for at least half an inch, to 
save the appearance of strain upon it. 

The fact that whalebone is expensive (averaging 
twenty cents per yard), and likely to become more so, has 
led to the use of many substitutes, some of which lack one 
or other of the good qualities possessed by whalebone. 
These substitutes are both natural and artificial — includ- 
ing horn, fins, quills, stiffened horse-hair, cane, vegetable 
fibre, vulcanite, steel, platinum, etc. — and are affected in 
various ways, according to their nature, by the natural 
warmth and moisture. Some are softened and lose their 
spring, and the fibres of others separate and fall apart ; un- 
protected steels rust, or rather, this was at one time the risk 
the dressmaker had to face when trying a new invention. 
Great attention is now given to these points by the manu- 
facturers, and lack of spring is the chief defect of all the 
manufactured substitutes. There has arisen of late years the 
idea that two or more narrow strips of bone placed side by 
side in the seam give more spring with less danger of 



Bones and Boning. 85 

breakage than single bones, and these " twin " steels and 
bones are to be obtained both covered and uncovered. Cor- 
rugating the surface is considered to give the same advantage. 
Whalebone or baleine is sold in lengths of from half a yard 
upwards, at from six to twenty-five cents per length ; it 
may also be bought ready cased in silk in graduated sets 
or dozens, prices varying with quality. French horn in 
its best qualities is presumably a natural production, 
and is sold in sets of graduated lengths (seven to ten 
inches), or in dozen-bundles. It can also be bought in 
half-yard lengths, in light or dark colours, and in these 
lengths and in the cheaper qualities is manifestly 
artificial. 

Cased steels of various makes (the platinum-cased 
steels are included under this head) are now very well 
made ; they are thin and flexible, the ends rounded and 
protected by shields, and the whole cased in double or 
tubular ribbon ready to be sewn in ; they are sold in 
sets graduated in lengths, or in bundles of twelve ; a 
little more length on the ribbon casing would be an 
advantage, as there is not sufficient to ease it well at the 
waist. Edge-bones (very narrow steels, to be used for 
the front edges of dresses, fastening edge to edge, lacing 
or otherwise) belong to this class, and should be chosen 
as thin and flexible as possible. 

Antarctic bone is a recent invention, and consists of 
short split lengths of whalebone bound together with 
cotton to make a continuous length. 

Feather-bone is of the same class — quills bound 
together with cotton to make a continuous length also. 

Fin-bone is presumably fins similarly prepared, and 
there are also the " Coraline " dress-stiffener, " Flexyle," 
" Corrubone," and others too numerous to mention. 



CHAPTER V. 

LININGS. 

Bodice Linings, Old-fashioned and Modern— Suitability to Figure and to 
Material — Linings too Hard or too Soft — Linen on the Cross — Twilled 
Silesia— Twilled Lining Silk— Italian Cloth— Sateen— Calico— Silk 
Bodice Lining — Jaeger Linings. — Skirt Linings — Essential Qualities 
— The Best Lining — Silk — Alpaca— Russell or Persian Cords — Taffeta 
— Coloured Linen and Linenette — Silcot — Black Glazed Lining — 
Sateen — Italian Cloth— The Cutting of Skirt Linings — Beetling — 
Firm Crinoline Muslins. 

Bodice Linings. — In a little old-fashioned book on dress- 
making (published in the days when the sewing-machine was 
a thing undreamt of) the writer informs her readers that a 
good strong unbleached linen or holland is the best lining 
for dress bodices ; that the backs should be cut on the 
straight and the fronts on the cross, and that the wrist of 
each part of the sleeve, both upper and under, should be 
laid to a thread of the stuff running across from selvedge 
to selvedge. 

The firm holland lining has been largely superseded by the 
sateen-faced, black-backed, twilled silesias now so generally 
used for middle-class dresses. A survival of the former 
flourishes in the form of a thick mingled grey lining made 
of black and white in imitation of linen. It is strong, 
thick, and warm, and does not soon show soil in wear, 
and for these reasons is preferred to slate-coloured 
silesia for cheap dresses. 



Linings. 87 

Many tailors use a fine firm linen or fine French canvas 
interlining for dresses which are to be afterwards lined with 
silk, but, so far as general use is concerned, holland or linen 
linings may be said to be quite out of date. 

No doubt coloured linens will always be used for both 
bodice and skirt linings when very open fabrics (of the 
canvas order) are in fashion ; but there is something 
naturally repugnant about a dark inside to bodice linings, 
and most wearers object to them unless their use is 
rendered absolutely necessary by the combined pressure 
of fashion and economy, as, where the latter is not an im- 
portant item, there is always the alternative of a reversible 
lining (or foundation) silk to fall back upon. These, firm 
glace or soft twilled Surah, may be obtained in a variety of 
colourings, dark on one side and light on the other, but are 
hardly equal to the strain of steady everyday wear, especially 
where a close fit is required. 

In the chapter on dress materials it is explained that 
twilled goods can be woven closer, and consequently are 
proportionately stronger in wear than plain ones of equal 
bulk, and this will probably explain why the sateen-finished 
twilled silesia has supplanted the lining of holland. The 
prevailing fashions in dress bodices practically make the 
fitting depend to a large extent on the lining. They 
make it imperative that it be not bulky, and that it unite 
in itself the qualities of fineness, firmness, and elasticity in 
the highest degree, as it is to sustain the figure, without 
increasing its size, and to follow and cling to all its curves 
and hollows ; and yet it must also be well adapted to the 
outside stuff. 

A lining which is too firm for the material made up 
with it presses against it and makes it look poor and thin, 
as though it were stretched over wood, and the looseness 
which good tacking-out always allows shows in ugly cracks 
or creases, which are unsightly and soon rub through. 
By not yielding as readily as the outside stuff, it causes the 



88 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking. 

latter to bag off instead of moulding to the hollows of the 
figure, thus making it appear too loose for the lining, whilst 
the appearance of the figure itself is quite spoilt by the 
ill-defined outline which the hard unyielding bodice presents. 

Cheap slate silesia has this fault, when the buyer 
mistakes stiffness for goodness, and hard white calico is 
often chosen for washing-dresses under the same mistaken 
impression. The hard white calico (very little improved 
by being soaked overnight in cold water) is extremely 
objectionable, as it is hardly possible to drive the needle 
through it, and it is as hard to work upon as it is difficult 
to fit. Scalding improves it, but only a little. 

On the other hand, a lining which is too soft does not 
sustain the figure sufficiently, and allows it to throw most of 
the strain of the fitting on the outside stuff, which, yielding 
in its turn, either loses shape and makes the bodice become 
loose and short-waisted, or splits where the strain is greatest. 
Either of these faults is very serious, and should be carefully 
guarded against, especially when the dress is one for a stout 
figure, or for hard or heavy wear. 

Linen on the cross is firm and flexible, but cuts up very 
extravagantly for bodices with many seams extending below 
the waist, is cold to the wearer in all but summer weather, 
and, unless in very fine qualities, is apt to be bulky. With 
the extremely close fit demanded by the fashions of the 
day, and with the loosely- woven materials which grow more 
and more into public favour, there is, too, the danger of 
the light-coloured lining showing itself in tiny flecks in the 
lines of stitching at the seams when the bodice is strained 
on the figure of the wearer. 

The black-backed, sateen-finished twilled silesia is fine, 
yielding enough to follow the curves of the figure, yet 
firm enough to support it. The dark back saves the 
danger of the white specks in the line of seams being 
visible, and the pretty fancy-patterned inside is pleasing 
to the eye, and less readily shows the slight soil of the 



Linings. 89 

making or wearing than does a plain self-coloured lining. 
In addition, it is not hard, but is still firm enough to be 
used satisfactorily with most of the materials in general 
wear, and for all these reasons it is usually chosen for dark- 
coloured, middle- class woollen dresses, and not alone for 
these, but for many others where its use is not considered 
strictly correct. 

Twilled lining silk is firm, smooth, thin, soft, and flexible, 
but has the objection of either putting the dark inside to 
the skin, or, if light, of being liable to show at the seams, 
and the greater one of being too expensive for the 
majority of wearers. Silk is accounted the perfection of 
bodice linings, and is properly used for all rich stuffs, such 
as silk, satin, velvet, plush, brocade, etc., though, where 
expense has to be considered, a good twilled silesia, 
Italian cloth, or sateen is often considered a satisfactory 
substitute for it, especially with the addition of an inter- 
lining of soft mull muslin to relieve the outside material 
of strain and to add to the softness and richness of its 
appearance. Velveteen is lined in this way. 

Many dressmakers prefer a lining of fine farmers' satin 
matching the outside stuff in colour, for dresses of silk, 
brocade, etc., for portly middle-aged wearers, consider- 
ing that it unites firmness with softness, and wears better 
than silk. It is certainly very nice foi the purpose, but 
it should be chosen fine and of good quality, or it is apt to 
split and to be bulky in the seams. It must be borne in 
mind, however, that farmers' satin is a tailor's and not a 
dressmaker's lining, and is only correctly used for tailor- 
made garments with the seams between. A lining of gros- 
grain silk (with the use of which the sides of the fronts 
should be thrown on the cross) is also favoured for large 
or stout figures. 

Sateen is very soft, and is more suitable for silk blouses 
or long gowns, where the weight of the skirt helps to keep it 
down, than for plain close-fitting bodices ; but dressmakers 



90 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking, 

are compelled to use it largely for both bodices and skirts 
of summer woollens of light colour and texture, such as 
delaines, as the colour of the finished dress is very much 
affected by the lining, which shows through ; and if the two 
colours do not match, the result is very disagreeable. 

Common slate silesia is the lining generally chosen 
for very common dresses and by the uninformed. 

Calico is generally used for servants' and common print 
or cotton dresses. Thin holland, calico, white silesia, fine 
cotton cambric or pale sateen to match the material, are all 
used for lining print, sateens, muslins, and for ladies' and 
children's washing-dresses generally ; light-backed sateen- 
finished twilled silesia, plain, or broche with self-coloured 
designs, for light stuffs ; — black-backed silesia for dark or 
medium woollens; better qualities being often chosen for 
silk, satin, plush, etc., though the correct lining for high- 
class woollens and all silk fabrics is twilled foundation silk. 
Twilled silesia, or coloured linen to match the outside 
stuff as nearly as possible, should be used for both the 

bodice and skirt linings of open woollen stuffs, such as 
canvas, etc. 

Transparent rich materials— grenadine, lace, net, chiffon, 
etc. — should be mounted on good silk or satin, and are often 
lined with silesia as well when fashion ordains that the style 
chosen shall be perfectly plain and close, and the figure is 
one requiring more strength in the lining than the silk alone 
will give. A less expensive substitute for the silk lining 
is a backing of sarcenet to the lace and a lining of cotton 
cambric ; both are very thin, the two together not making 
more bulk than an ordinary black-backed silesia, and giving 
for black the combined advantages of black silk under the 
lace and a pure white inside to the bodice. Mourning 
crape is mounted on either mull muslin or domette, however 
lined ; silk is the best lining for it. 

It may not be generally known to non-professional dress- 



Linings, 91 

makers that a firm twilled silk bodice lining with a black 
back can be bought at all the leading dealers. It is 
twenty-two inches wide and costs about fifty cents per 
yard, and, except that the face is silk, might easily be 
taken for a very good black-backed silesia, the patterns 
being of the same class of design and the back blacked in 
the same way. The black back makes it quite unsuitable 
for open or transparent fabrics. It is much to be regretted 
that a good black silk back is not to be obtained, and that 
the insides of dresses of such dainty fabrics must either 
be dark or a second lining (white cambric or sarcenet) 
used inside the silk. 

For those who follow out the Jaeger theory of clothing the 
body in garments made from animal fibre only, the woollen 
Jaeger dress-linings should be used ; they are fine and soft, 
and are considered specially suitable for chilly people or 
those inclined to rheumatism and chest complaints. They 
are of course more bulky than cotton or silk linings, but give 
a soft and rich appearance to all stuffs, and may be used 
for silk and for rich fabrics of the class without the mull 
muslin interlining. 

The fitting or sewing lines of the pattern are generally 
transferred to the doubled lining by the use of a tracing- 
wheel or stiletto, which thus conveys the outlines to each 
pair of pieces of lining at the same time. Self-coloured plain 
linings show the tracing-wheel marks better than patterned 
ones, and the same holds good of farmers' satin, sateen, and 
calico. Plain silk linings also show the wheel-marks if they 
are carefully followed immediately after wheeling, but they are 
apt to close up quickly, and it is better to lightly pencil them 
over at once. The same may be said of the woollen Jaeger 
linings, -which, as they are preferred by a number of 
wearers, it is not fair to ignore. Inexperienced workers 
may prefer to cut the pattern down to the fitting-lines 
and pencil round each piece separately. Where this 



92 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking. 

is done, care should be taken to cut the fitting-lines quite 
away, especially the lines of the darts, and the arm-hole and 
neck curves, or the marks fall inside the darts and above 
the neck, and inside the arm-hole curves instead of upon 
them, whilst pencilling outside the body-lines instead of 
upon them adds considerably to the bust and waist size of 
the bodice. 

Skirt Linings. — The selection of good lining plays a 
very important part in the satisfactory turning out of a 
skirt. It should be firm and closely woven, that it may 
not drop in the length when the weight of the bottom 
finishings and trimmings is placed upon it, or split or 
give way under it ; it should be inclined to hang outwards 
instead of falling in to the feet and twisting itself among 
the folds of the underskirts; smooth, to slip down easily 
over the skirts and stay so ; fine, that it may not rub 
through the soft outside material, or impoverish its appear- 
ance by harshness of outline in the seams ; supple, to bear 
being held in the hand when the skirt is lifted in walking, 
and yet to spring back without showing marks of crushing 
when the skirt is dropped again; durable, to stand wear. 
Above all, it should be light in weight and neither heating 
nor chilling to the wearer, and should be good enough in 
quality to keep its colour fairly well. The lining is usually 
chosen as close in colour to the outside material as possible, 
but the black back is not essential ; such linings are only 
used for dark princess dresses, and then a deep inside hem of 
stuff quite to the knee is imperative, light insides to dark 
skirts soiling too quickly to be considered necessary or 
advisable. 

Silk — rustling glace", or twilled foundation — is the lining 
par excellence for skirts, but is too expensive even in 
the poorer qualities for general use ; those materials that 
most resemble it in sound and hang are the favourite 
substitutes. Alpaca is a material that will slip on and 
down easily, that will hang out well without stiffness, and 



Linings. 93 

that is fairly durable in wear, and it may be regarded as 
the standard foundation material for middle-class woollen 
dresses ; its chief fault is its liability to split, and for this 
reason Russell or Persian cords are often preferred as being 
more suited for hard wear; but these fabrics, though durable, 
are hard, and inclined to rub through a soft outside material. 
Taffeta comes between the alpaca and cord as a favourite, 
firm coloured linen and linenette are both excellent, and 
varieties of silkette or silcot (cottons finished to look and 
feel like silk) are also very nice and are all in general 
use ; whilst those who choose the mingled grey for bodice 
lining are apt to prefer black glazed lining for the skirt. 

Sateen is very soft, and should only be used for washing- 
dresses (with muslin-lined facings) or in conjunction with full 
flounces, ruches, or some other full bottom-edge trimmings ; 
for as a rule, though a hard lining is objectionable in a skirt, 
a soft one is more so, as it drops in at the feet and impedes 
free movement, and is therefore neither graceful nor com- 
fortable. Soft linings are, however, sometimes used for 
foundation skirts under draperies, where their softness allows 
them to drop close and so give the maximum of effect to 
the draperies with the minimum of bulk. For such skirts 
sateen is the favourite foundation material. 

Farmers' satin is a good lining for silk or velvet when 
not made in the seams. These rich fabrics are often 
interlined with mull muslin ; trained silk skirts are fre- 
quently interlined with domette, which gives them a full 
rich flow, and adds materially to the beauty of both the 
style and the material. Velvet or velveteen should never 
be lined with anything that will rub in the slightest degree, 
or the pile will be loosened and the fabric gradually im- 
poverished from the back. Polonaise, a mixture of silk and 
cotton, which has the appearance of a soft dull silk with a 
distinct serge-like twill, is very much used as a skirt-lining 
for rich materials. 

Skirt linings should in all cases be cut the same way of 



94 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking 

the stuff as the outside material, and when the two are of 
different widths the question of cutting without waste is 
sure to arise. This must be arranged at the time according 
to the respective widths, the material being always cut first 
and the lining shaped to it ; and it will often be found ad- 
vantageous to cut the lengths of lining and join them before 
shaping, as there is less handling of the biassed seams and 
less chance of stretching them. As the curves of the 
figure below the waist are outward, extra length in the lining 
is not needed; but the pressure of the knees in walking 
or sitting is forward, and it is therefore usual to cut the 
linings of skirts a little wider than the outside material, half 
an inch to each gore or about two inches on the whole skirt 
width. Beyond this, what has been said about bodice linings 
for transparent materials holds good for skirts. 

Beetling — one of the processes of finishing cottons, 
during which they are beaten by heavy wooden mallets — 
flattens the threads and makes the cloth thinner and closer, 
consequently more pliable in fitting and silky to the touch ; 
beetled plain linings generally show a marking like a slight 
water-waving on the surface. Bodice linings are almost 
invariably beetled. 

Firm crinoline muslins (checked or corded), are used for 
interlinings when the fashion of wide flowing skirts prevails, 
or they may be the only lining used for skirts of light 
materials. Fine French canvas is used in the same way, 
and no doubt horse-hair or hair-cloth will be pressed into 
such service when a very full effect is desired. 



CHAPTER VL 

STITCHES. 

Easing — Good Sewing — Difference between Dressmaking and White Work 
— Value of Slip-Stitching — Choice of Needles, Threads, etc. — The 
Different Kinds of Tacking — Baisting — Seaming — Stitching — Back- 
Stitching — Running — Gathering and Gauging — Size of the Gathering- 
Stitch— Biassing— Shirring and Casing — Whipping — Overcasting — 
Loop-Stitch — Hooks and Eyes — False Hem — French Hem — ' ' Roll " 
Hem — Invisible or Slip Hemming — Slip-Stitching — Herring-boning 
— Small and Large Cross-Stitch — Fans of Stitches — Fine-Drawing — 
Darning in Dressmaking — Button-hole Stitch, Ordinary and Tailors' 
— Stranding for Button-holes. 

Easing is so closely associated with sewing that it comes 
naturally under the head of the present chapter. It is, 
strictly speaking, a process or a manner of holding the work 
whilst it is being pinned or sewn, but is so often used 
in dressmaking that it calls for a few words of special 
description. 

It is sometimes necessary, either to ensure room for free 
movement or to obtain a certain outside effect at some part 
of the work, to join two parts or lengths in such a way that 
the longer one shall be worked up into the length of the 
shorter one without showing a gathering or visible dra wing- 
up. To attain this, the seam is held with the longest length 
towards the worker and the shortest one beneath it and away 
from her, and the work while in progress is held over the hand, 
or, in the case of seams, over the end of the left forefinger in- 
stead of flat upon it. Each stitch put into work so held takes 
up more of the upper portion than of the under, and so uses 
up the extra length very readily, and, where the turn over 



g6 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking. 

with the forefinger is not quite sufficient, as with the highest 
part of the sleeve-head, a little push with the left thumb as 
the needle is taking up the stitch still further fulls or eases 
the longer length against the shorter one, and so helps on 
to the desired result. Sleeves and collar at the joining 
seams should look raised above the bodice itself, therefore 
upper sleeves are always well eased in and collars slightly 
eased on, and the effect is assisted if the turnings are neat- 
ened and laid under that side of the seam which is to appear 
most raised : thus arm-hole turnings arc laid in the sleeve, 
neck turnings in the collar. 

The sewing which has to be done in good dressmaking 
differs very largely in one important respect from that done 
in white work: the stitches very seldom show through on 
the right side. 

Underclothing is constantly being washed whilst in use, 
and all the sewing put into it needs the first essential of 
durability. Close and small stitching is rendered absolutely 
necessary, as in the various stages of washing, drying, and 
ironing, the seams and hems are beaten, rubbed, shaken, 
and, in a sense, roughly handled, and large or loose stitches 
would break and allow raw edges to come out, which in turn 
would fray or tear across, and soon put an end to the use- 
fulness of the garment. The fine work put into the seams 
and the careful double-turning of all raw edges is absolutely 
necessary with washing-garments, and this, together with the 
necessity for making all seams very flat (as they are to lie 
close to the body and the garments themselves are unlined), 
makes it almost impossible to avoid showing the stitches 
through to the right side. In white work this is admitted 
and accepted, but in dressmaking the reverse is the case, 
and every endeavour is made to keep the stitching out of 
sight unless it is used in a distinctly ornamental manner. 

In all such work as hemming-up bindings and facings 
the lining only is taken up on the needle, the stitching never 
showing through the outside stuff, and this no doubt has 



Stitches. 97 

gradually led up to the feeling that stitching showing through 
is a mark of inferior work, and is to be avoided wherever it is 
possible. The fact that coloured silk or cotton must be used 
for stitching woollen stuffs, and the difficulty of matching 
them exactly, have no doubt a great deal to do with this ; 
at all events, slip-stitching is now the dressmaker's stitchpar 
excellence, and is used by her in all its variations, far better 
finishing being ensured by its use than in any other way. 
For instance, if the facing of two revers is machined to 
each on the wrong side, and then turned over, the edges are 
thick and clumsy, the stuff and facing hold apart, and it is 
very doubtful if both points will come out from the ordeal 
exactly the same size and shape ; but if an interlining of 
muslin or other stiffening is cut exactly to the shape and size 
required, and the material is tacked smoothly and firmly 
down over it ; if all the points, corners, and curves are care- 
fully made and matched and the whole pressed, and then 
the facing also turned to shape and size, and tacked firmly 
down and pressed before it is joined to the rever by slip- 
stitching, the likelihood of the worker having to undo and 
do over again any portion of the work is reduced, and a far 
more finished effect results. With any piece of work on 
which both sides have to show equally— as the edges of a 
Medici collar or Zouave — pressing on either side after finish- 
ing would show a line of glaze round the edge, and here 
again the value of slip- stitching makes itself apparent. 

What has been said on page 28 about the choice of 
needles and thread for the machine applies with the same 
force to the selection of needles and thread for hand-work. 
The needles should be smooth and well-finished — rather short 
where the sewing is to be done one stitch at a time, but 
long where several stitches at a time are taken up upon the 
needle — the cotton or silk smooth and firm, but not glazed ; 
very fine silk is used for slip-stitching, and dull crape-cotton 
for sewing mourning crape. The length of thread may be 
broken from the spool, but should always be cut from the 

H 



98 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking. 

work ; breaking weakens the fastening-off, and biting-off is 
nearly as bad, and adds the objection of marking the work 
with the moisture of breath and lips. All the stitching 
in dressmaking is expected to be neat, regular, and secure, 
but it is not done, as a rule, quite so finely as for white 
work; fourteen to sixteen stitches to the inch being the 
range. 

If the stitches are all small, close, and regular, the work 
would be called fine; if large, but still well-spaced and regular, 
it would be considered coarse but neat. If the stitches are 
irregular in size and set in at different angles, some lying 
quite down and some quite upright ; or if stitches of various 
lengths follow each other without regularity or order, some 
taking one edge only of the two portions to be joined and 
some the other, and the tension on the thread is unequal, 
some parts being drawn quite tightly and the others left 
loose, and so on, it is decidedly bad work, even if the 
stitches themselves are all small. Cool, smooth hands, and 
the habit of touching and holding lightly, are as essential to 
good work as fine stitching, and a fair rate of speed is 
needed if the work is to be regular and fresh-looking. 

The stitches shown in Figs. 7, 8, 9, 10, are only used in 
the preparation of the work, or to hold stuff and lining or 

any two por- 

tions of the 

work together 

Tacking, N9 1. ... . . 

whilst it is in 
progress, and 

Fig. 7 . are alw ays 

done in thin, 
soft cotton of a contrasting colour, generally pink or white, 
none of which remains in the finished garment. 

No. 1 is the " tacking-out " in the outline or fitting-line 
referred to in the details of bodice-making. The stitches are 
half an inch long, and of equal size on both sides of the 
work. Some workers prefer to steady the tacking-together 




Stitches. 



99 



by taking a back-stitch at every four or six tacking-stitches ; 

where this is done the back-stitches should be cut when 

the tackings are being removed, or they will be very 

difficult to draw out. 

No. 2 is a variety of tacking-out stitch to be used by ex- 
perienced workers, and for materials where it is advisable to 

guard against 

showing the 

marks of the 

needle, as 

cords, velvet, 

silk, etc. Only 

one end of the 

stitch touches 

the outline ; 

the rest of the 

tacking is in 

the turnings. The stitches are a quarter of an inch long, 

and the spaces between them vary from a-half to three- 
quarters of an inch. 

No. 3 is the " long and short " stitch, which is found to 

_ hold crape and 
other springy fa- 
brics better than 
stitches of equal 
length ; the stitches 
are alternately an 




Fig. 8. 




inch and a quarter 
of an inch long. 

Baisting is prin- 
cipally used for skirt 
work, and the size 
of the stitch would 
be varied according 
to the space to be 

H 2 




ioo The Elements of Modern Dressmaking. 

covered ; as a rule, the stitch is as large as the needle will 
take up. With large surfaces (as deep kiltings or pleats) a 
long straw or darning-needle may be advantageously used 
to cover the ground quickly. 

Tacking is generally worked from right to left, but 
the worker would vary this according to circumstances, 
going backwards, forwards, up or down, as seems most 
advisable. Baisting may be used in any direction as 
required, but is generally worked backwards. 

Machine-stitching, stitching, back-stitching, run-and- 
back-stitch, seaming, run-and-fell, are all employed for 

joining lengths to- 
gether or making 
seams. Back- 

stitching was used 
avvva,\U\\uua^ for the bodice and 
run - and - back- 
stitch for the skirt 
seams before ma- 
Fig, ii. chine - stitching 
took the place of 
both (hence the old-fashioned dressmaker's rule of short 
needle for bodice and long for skirt). Seaming (Fig. 1 1) was 
occasionally employed for bodice seams, but only where 
selvedges were joined, and was then worked very minutely ; 
it is now principally used for fixing the skirt to the belt. 
Run-and-fell is seldom used in dressmaking unless for 
foundation skirt seams. Machine-stitching is dealt with on 
page 29, and, properly worked, is a very close strong stitch, 
making firm, even seams, that can be pressed to a degree 
of flatness impossible to obtain with hand-stitched seams, 
unless in thick, soft materials. 

Stitching (Fig. 12) is used to ornament finished edges, 
whilst at the same time giving them firmness. We are all 
familiar with the description, " Every stitch is like a pearl " ; 
and that is exactly how stitching should look. In white 





Stitches. ioi 

work the rule is two threads backward from where the 
stitch last came out and four forward, the rule leaving two 
threads uncovered 
between each 
stitch. In dress- 
making it is not 
possible to count 
the threads ■ the 
rule of sixteen lg " I2 ' 

stitches to the inch is therefore substituted for it. 

Back-stitching (Fig. 13) is very closely akin to stitching; 
the rule is, however, two threads backward and two forward, 
thus making the stitches follow each other without any spaces 
between. It is the firmest stitch used in dressmaking, and 

should be abso- 
lutely even and 
regular, both in 
size and in the 
tension given to 
the silk in draw- 
Fig. 13. ingoutthe 
needle, if a per- 
fect seam is to result. With back-stitching (and in a less 
degree with stitching) the chief defect to be guarded against 
is easing the upper material to the under one, which can 
easily be done even if the work is held very carefully and 
kept flat on the forefinger, if the stuff is thick and the needle 
put into the work at a slant, as it will then naturally take up 
more of the upper than of the under material. In stitching 
or back-stitching thick cloths, tailors guard against this by 
putting the needle in straight down from the face, drawing 
it through, and putting it in again straight through from 
the back, instead of making the stitch by passing the needle 
through both thicknesses of stuff at once in the ordinary 
manner ; and though this is not specially necessary in 
dressmaking, it should be borne in mind if very thick cloth 








102 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking. 

is being worked upon. Back-stitching and stitching are 
both usually worked from right to left, but the former was 
occasionally worked backwards when joining skirt gores by 
hand (see page 130), the stitch being often given in old 
manuals on sewing as a variety of back-stitch. 

Running (Fig. 14) is not a strong stitch, and would not 
be wisely used for any seams that have to bear strain, unless 

in conjunction 
with felling, or for 
French seam. It 
covers space very 
Running rapidly, however, 

Fig# I4# " and is therefore 

used for many 
kinds of joining, and in inferior work for protecting edges 
in place of hemming. For running, the two edges to be joined 
are put together and the needle "run "or shaken along through 
both, taking up a number of stitches at a time which are 
all of equal' length on both sides of the work. For gather- 
ing, the needle would not be taken out of the work at all, 
the stitches being passed back over the eye as they are 
made ; but for running long skirt seams this would crinkle 
the material at the line of sewing more than is advisable, 
and it would roughen and weaken the thread to draw it 
through a long length ; the needle is therefore drawn through, 
and the line of running smoothened on the thread at each 
needleful of stitches, the needle being always put back again 
with a back-stitch to strengthen the seam and prevent 
drawing up. Skirt seams were mostly joined in this way 
before the invention of the sewing-machine, and long needles 
were preferred by the workers as enabling them to cover the 
lengths more quickly. Care should be taken, in making a 
join by running, that the upper material is not eased against 
the under (see " Back-Stitching," page 101), and that the 
stitches really join the two lengths to be united. With too 
rapid workers the needle may occasionally miss the under 



Stitches. 103 

material, taking the top one only, and this no doubt gave 
rise to the saying that badly-made seams were joined with 
" hot needle and burning thread." Running is worked from 
right to left ; but if pile fabrics are run by hand, the worker, 
after running the seam down, would return up the length, 
taking up all the spaces she had missed in going down, to 
close the pile and prevent the seam showing. 

The needle "runs" through the work in making the 
seam, but the material can also be " run " or drawn up on 
the running-thread ; this stitch is therefore the one used for 
making gathers. 

Gathering, gauging, shirring, casing (Figs. 15, 16, 17) are 
used for drawing up the waists of skirts (often the back- 
breadths only) into 
a shorter given 
space, also for 
making flounces 

and many varieties Gathering 

of ornamental 
fulness on both Fig. 15. 

bodices and skirts. 

Gathering is, like running, worked from right to left, and 
the stitch is similar. The rule of gathering by thread 
is, take two, miss four ; but this is very little used in dress- 
making unless a uniform grooved or fluted effect is desired, 
the ordinary running stitch of equal length on both sides 
being as general. 

When straight (ungored) skirts were in vogue, and six or 
seven breadths of material had to be " stocked " or set into 
the waist-belt, the value of the correct gathering stitch was 
very apparent. The stitch, longer on the face than on the 
back, draws the material up into distinct ridges, making it 
much easier for the worker to dispose of it neatly, securely, 
and regularly by seaming the top edge of each groove to the 
bottom edge of the belt. For this the right side of the belt 
and the right side of the skirt are placed against each other, 





io4 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking. 

and each gather secured with at least two firm seaming- 
stitches. The belt is held away from the worker and the 
skirt to her whilst the work is being done, and (as is usual in 
dressmaking) the sewing is done on the inside, and each 
stitch drawn up closely to show as little as possible on the 
outside of the finished work. (See page 146.) 

The size of the gathering-stitch would vary with the 
quantity of material to be set into the arranged space. For 
bodice fronts it would be a quarter of an inch on the face 
and an eighth behind, or less ; for the waist of the front por- 
tion of straight 
skirts, a very 
little larger. In 
the large gathers 

Large Gathers for Skirt Backs for the backs of 

\^J undraped skirts 

Fig. 16. the stitch would 

be the length of 
the needle on the face and a quarter of an inch behind (see 
Fig. 16). For the heads of large puffed or leg-of-mutton 
sleeves the gathering-stitch is often reversed, and made a 
quarter of an inch on the face and half an inch at the back. 
This brings the ridges outside, and after the sleeve-head has 
been drawn up on the gathering-thread to the size of the 
lining, each gather is pressed flat to make a tiny box-pleat. 
This method of dealing with the sleeve gathers makes a less 
bulky arm-hole seam, and inclines the sleeves to stand out 
from the shoulders — an effect specially desired with sleeves 
of the kind. 

Where several rows of gathering are to come one below 
the other, to give a regular grooved effect, the stitches, long 
and short, must be placed very exactly to take up and leave 
the same thread as in the row above them. Each gather- 
ing-thread should be fastened on very securely on the wrong 
side, and after all the gathering has been done each should 
be drawn up separately and steadily, and the piece of work 



Stitches. 105 

pulled gently from each end to assist the gathers to set, after 
which each gathering-thread is passed through to the back 
of the work and fastened off, and the gathers themselves 
are further strengthened and kept in place by a row of 
back-stitching or chain-stitching across the back of each 
row of gathering-stitches, the needle taking for this only the 
tiny ridge at the back of each groove or gather. This can 
be applied to both lined and unlined gathering, and when 
this style of fulness comes into vogue it is almost sure 
to bring smocking (which is really an ornamental out- 
side strengthening of the smooth gathers) into fashion too. 

Biassing is a very pretty way of strengthening unlined 
gathers from the outside. A thicker ornamental thread (of 
a contrasting colour, if desired) is used, and (starting at the 
right of the work) a tiny downward stitch is taken in each 
groove, the needle just taking up the gathering-thread. This 
stitch, thus worked, brings the biassing-thread diagonally 
across each ridge of the gathering, with a very ornamental 
effect 

A variety of gathering is made by extremely fine run- 
ning, amounting to take a thread and miss a thread, in which 
the needle is 



lightly shaken JZ^JX^ T r r * F ''nTTTTTTrnT 
along" through T T^-^^ITT^TO)* 



the material 



without bein -^-iAJ--!.LljlWii|ii 

drawn out at — '-^LjLJLLi I hd JUd} 





all, the stitches 

' Shirring' 

being passed 

over the eye as 

it is filled. The Fig ' 17 ' 

expressive American term " shirring " is very descriptive 

of the manner in which the needle is shivered or slurred 

along through the material, and the gathers produced 

by this method are beautifully crisp and full, while the 

small stitches hardly show the silk or cotton with which 



io6 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking. 

they are made. Where several rows of this extremely 
fine gathering follow one below the other, it is called 
casing. It is also called gauging, the term being applied 
to both kinds of gathering • but casing is always applied 
to lines of fine, small running - stitches with puffy 
fulness between, and where each line of gathering is 
pushed up a little above the place where it would come on 
the lining if the stuff remained its full length, so that it 
hangs over loosely, it makes the trimming called puffs, 
whether the stuff is gathered by the correct gathering- 
stitch or only cased or run. The fine shirring makes the 
prettiest puffings.* This fine running is also called 
"drawing." 

Whipping is used for drawing up the edges of frills and 
lace to a required degree of fulness, and to make orna- 
mental fulness without showing the thread. Whipping may 
be described as a variety of gathering, but the whipping- 
stitch is made 
over the edge of 
the strip to be 
drawn up. In 
white work the 

Fi"s. rule is t0 gently 

roll the edge of 
the frill between the left thumb and forefinger to close in the 
raw edges, and work from right to left, putting the needle in 
behind the work, just under the roll and ' in a slanting 
direction, and bringing it out at the face, taking one stitch 
at a time. For whipping lace the roll is omitted, and the 
worker uses a long needle and makes a number of stitches 
at once, twisting the work under the needle, and the needle 

* In millinery, casing is worked on double material, and the spaces 
between each drawing are really casings — wire, whalebone, or steel 
being run into each space to give form to the head-dress. In dress- 
making the same effect (on single material) is used for ornament, on 
parts of the dress where a wire could not possibly be used. 




Stitches. 107 

over the edge of the strip, alternately. Whipping over a 
slight fold made on the back of the work gives fuller 
puffings than gathering or shirring, and shows the thread 
less. It is also occasionally used in the place of hemming 
for finishing the edges of soft silk frills, when it is worked 
in thick silk of a "contrasting colour, and is not drawn up at 
all. The edge of the frill would be rolled and whipped 
down, after which the work would be reversed and the 
whipping again carried down the length, crossing all the 
spaces left in the first working. The drawn or gathered 
edge would be whipped in the same way before drawing up. 
Used thus it is distinctly ornamental. 

Overcasting (sometimes called whipping) is used for 
finishing and protecting the edges of turnings inside the 
dress, also for 
making eyelet- 
hole's. 

Overcasting is 
a variety of seam- 
ing or whipping, 
but is worked from 
left to right and 
nearly always over 
raw edges. The 
needle should be put in at a slight slant to make the 
stitch upright, and the stitch itself should be taken rather 
deeply to give a firm hold, especially with stuffs likely to 
fray. Twelve or more stitches to the inch is the rule for 
bodice seams. The cotton used should be the colour of the 
outside material, and the stitch should not be drawn up 
tightly or it will make a hard ridge at the edges of the turn- 
ings, which will show from the outside, and soon rub through 
the bodice. For eyelet-holes, on the contrary, the stitch 
should be fairly deep and very close, and drawn up tightly, 
the ridge being an advantage and protection to the edge of 
the hole (see " Fastenings," page 73). In inferior work the 




io8 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking. 



JL LLLLLl <LLL<Ll 



Loop Stitch 



Fig. 20. 




turnings are often whipped several stitches at a time ; this, 
however, gives a frayed and untidy look to the edges, and 
should be strictly avoided. 

The stitch shown in Fig. 20 is called embroidery button- 
hole-stitch, loop-stitch, scalloping-stitch, loop-overcasting, 

etc., and is used 
for ornamental 
eyelet-holes, 
loops, putting on 
hooks and eyes 
which are not to 
be afterwards 
covered with a 
ribbon ; some- 
times for edges 
of turnings where very neat finish is required, as the top of 
the button-stand or wrap. Sometimes it is incorrectly used 
for button-hole stitch. 

The stitch is worked from left to right, and is very simi- 
lar to the correct button-hole stitch, with which it is often 
confused. With button-hole stitch, however the edge to be 
worked over is held upwards, and the purl is tightened by 
pulling the thread upwards and away from the worker, 
whilst with loop-stitch the reverse is the case, and button- 
holes worked in loop-stitch are always inclined to curl over 
and fall apart at the centre, and allow the button to slip 
back. The stitch is worked by bringing the thread from 
the last stitch down and holding it under the left thumb 
whilst the next stitch is taken. After the needle has passed 
through the work the thumb sets 
the loop free, and the stitch is 
tightened by drawing down over it. 
For the application of this stitch to 
eyelets and loops, see pages 73-4. 
All hooks and eyes on skirt belts, or that are not covered 
with a ribbon-flap or facing, are overcast to the belt or dress 




Stitches. 109 

by this stitch, the overcasting being carried round the two 
little holes or rings, and up the shank of the hook to the 
turn ; the eye is entirely covered. 

Hemming (Fig. 22) is used as in white work, for holding 
down the edges of hems, facings, linings, and every variety 

of neat inside finish- 




. . , . . ing, but must not 
show through to the 

Hemming face . Q^ ne edle 

should take up only 
the edge to be 
Fig. 22. hemmed down and 

the lining. 
The manner of cutting and setting on a false or added 
hem is detailed on page 136, the inside facing of a skirt being 
a false hem ; if the false hem is outside the skirt, it would 
be set on the finished skirt and slip-stitched at both edges 
(see page 138). French hem is used for the edges of cross- 
cut flounces and trimmings of the class generally. For 
French hem an inch or more of the material is folded over 
on the right side, and a row of machine-stitching made 
quite close to the fold. The inch of material is then turned 
up and the edge turned as if for an ordinary hem; it is, 
however, to be hemmed down on the ridge made by the 
machine-stitching instead of through the outer material in the 
usual way, and thus the stitches are prevented from showing 
through. French hem is used for silk and cotton, or fabrics 
which cannot be conveniently slip-hemmed. 

For " roll " hem the material must also be on the cross, 
the hem about half an inch deep and turned up on the right 
side. It is then invisibly hemmed, all the stitches being 
made quite under the edge of the fold that they may not 
show through on either side. The appearance of the hem 
itself when finished should be soft and round. Roll hem 
can only be applied to materials which are alike on both 
sides. 




no The Elements of Modern Dressmaking. 

Invisible hemming, or slip-hemming (Fig. 23), differs 
from ordinary hemming in both stitch and effect. The hem 
is turned and pressed, and the fine silk fastened on securely ; 
then below the fold the needle takes up merely a hair— a 
hold so fine as to be hardly a thread of the stuff— in fact, it 
must not show or shine through to the right side. It is 
drawn gently through and then takes a good firm hold in the 
fold ; another hair again a little further on, and repeat. This 
stitch is not a difficult one to execute once the " knack " of 

taking up the slight 
hold is acquired, and 
it can be very rapidly 
done ; it is used for 
the edges of dra- 
siip or invisible Hemmin* peries, straight and 
curved, and for any 
"iTg. 23. parts of the dress 

where an edge of un- 
lined material has to be made neat without showing a bind- 
ing or a visible finishing, and — being worked from right to 
left, and therefore handier — it is also often used instead of 
herring-boning to roughly fasten down edges which are 
afterwards to be covered with a facing ; in the latter case it 
is called rough-hemming, and both stitches take a firm hold 
in the material and lining, though not, of course, showing 
through to the right side. It is sometimes called slipping or 
slip-stitching. 

The word slip-stitching is also used in two other senses 
— either for joining two edges together (as with revers, etc.), 
or to fasten a fold down over a flat surface from the 
outside, as, for instance, slip-stitching a back drapery 
down at each side over the front, or draperies round 
each side of the pocket-opening. For the latter the 
stitch used is much the same as for slip-hemming, but 
the edge of the fold should be lifted up a little and the 
stitches taken well under it, that they may not be at all 



Stitches. hi 

visible. The lower stitch, instead of taking up merely a 
hair, should take a good firm hold in the stuff, and this as 
well as the upper stitch should be made under the fold, that 
when the thread is drawn close it may lie entirely out of 
sight. When such slip-stitching has to be done down long 
lengths it is advisable to take a back-stitch at, say, every four 
stitches to keep the join smooth and relieve the thread of 
the strain. 

Slip-stitching two edges together may be described as 
concealed running or concealed mn-and-back stitching ; the 
former is mostly used in millinery, the latter in dressmaking. 
The edges to be slip-stitched are turned carefully to shape, 
pressed, and tacked very exactly together. The needle is then 
passed in between the folds an inch forward of the place where 
the actual stitching is to start, and run backwards, taking 
the inside of each fold alternately till it reaches the starting- 
place, when it is drawn out between the folds, and the end 
of the silk drawn well down out of sight. The stitch is then 
worked forward from the starting-point again. Three or 
four fine running-stitches are made, taking up only the 
inside of each fold ; the needle is then drawn out, always 
between the folds, and the stitching tightened up as closely 
as it is possible to do without wrinkling the edge. The 
needle is put in again a little behind the place where the 
last stitch came out, and the running and gentle tightening- 
up repeated till the end of the work is reached, when the 
needle is again reversed and the securing (preparatory to the 
fastening-ofT) made for an inch backwards. Fine needles 
and fine sewing-silk should be used for slip-stitching in any 
of its forms— either for slip-stitching or invisible hemming. 

Herring- bon- 

bg (Fig. 24) is kvxxAXXA 

worked from left ^\ /x /\ /S a, -^\j^S— -* f~ — f) 

to right, and used / I 

, ,. , Herring-boning I / l 

as a rough stitch I J * 

to fasten down Fig. 24. 



ii2 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking. 



raw edges which are afterwards to be covered by a facing 
(as the outside of the collar to the buckram stiffening, etc.), 
and occasionally for fastening-in the bone -casings instead 
of hemming or cross-stitch. The stitch is worked from left 
to right, and the rule is six long and four apart. When 
used in dressmaking it is worked exactly as for flannel. 

Small cross-stitch is used for sewing bone-casings 
to seams and marking the centre of the front of the skirt 
belt, sometimes also for sewing the belt of the bodice to the 




x 

X 



Bmall Cross-stitch, 




Xarge Cross-stitch. 



Fig 25. 

three back seams. The large cross-stitch was at one time 
used for fastening bones into the casings, when it was 
worked from each corner into the centre, as the fans 
of stitches are worked. It is now used for fastening the 
belt to the three back seams of the bodice. 

The small cross-stitch is worked downwards, beginning 
at the upper left-hand corner, and taking each stitch straight 
across, from right to left, returning up the length to complete 
the stitch as shown in Fig. 25. The large cross-stitches are 
worked singly, each one being fastened off separately behind 
the turnings. The stitch is made in the same way, but can 
be worked more conveniently if the bodice is held with the 



Stitches, 



113 



neck to the worker's left hand. The left ringers can then 
be slipped under the turnings at both sides of the seam, 
and the stitch taken from the bottom to the top of 
the belt-edges up one turning, instead of across the 
seam. 

Fans of stitches (Fig. 26) are ornamental as well as 
useful, and are worked in thick, bright silk. They are used 
for fastening the ends of the bones to the casings, etc. The 
silk is first firmly fastened on at the back of the casing and 
then brought 
through the 
hole in the 
bone to the 
face; the 
longest cen- 
tre - stitch is 
first made, 
and then the 
sides of the 
fan worked 
either from 
the bottom 



t 



Fane of Stitches 




Fig. 26. 



upwards or the top downwards to meet it, the second side 
being carefully made to match the first, and all the stitches 
put in from the face of the doubled casing and brought 
back through the hole in the bone. The fastening-orT 
should be at the back. 

Fine-drawing is a method of joining two edges without 
taking up any turnings. The edges to be joined are placed 
close together on the left forefinger ; the fine needle, threaded 
with fine silk, is brought through from the edge at the right 
of the join, and the stitch is taken across through the centre 
of the thickness of the cloth (below the surface) and returned 
in the same way, always in a slightly slanting direction, 
that the stitching may be gradually carried down the length 
of the join. The edges are in this way closed or drawn 
I 



ii4 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking. 

together, and if the join is slightly damped and pressed 
from the back on a woollen cloth it will show very little — 
less, of course, in a rough material than in a fine, smooth 
one. Where the material is too thin to admit of this method 
of joining, the work may be held in the same way and the 
stitch made by passing the point of the needle under each 
edge alternately — somewhat like lacing. 

A few words upon the darning which may be needed in 
dressmaking may be of use. Fine-drawing is generally con- 
sidered a dressmaking mending-stitch, but it can only be 
well applied to thick, firm cloths, of the kind used for heavy 
winter jackets and mantles, and is scarcely as useful as 
might be expected, as it presupposes two firm edges 
such as an incidental cut might leave, and cannot be well 
applied to tears or worn places. Darning, to be really use- 
ful, amounts to a reproduction of the weave of the fabric, 
be it plain, twilled, or patterned, and should be done with 
threads of the material itself. Long warp threads, which 
can be drawn or frayed out from a strip cut the selvedge 
way of the piece, are generally the strongest and firmest, 
but if this is not available, either ordinary wool, cotton, or 
silk (according to the fabric to be darned) may be used, a 
strand being in all cases drawn out to leave it slightly soft 

and roughened. 

Button-hole stitch (Fig. 
27) is used for making a firm 
ornamental edging to button- 
holes, sometimes also for 
eyelet-holes, instead of loop- 
stitch. 

General rules for marking 

and cutting button-holes, with 

Fi ' details of size, distance apart 

and from the edge, of running 

or back-stitching before cutting, or overcasting after, etc., 

and some details as to the different kinds in use, are 




Stitches. 115 

given on pages 37-40. It only remains here to deal with 
the stitch used in making them, and with stranding. 

The ordinary stitch is worked from left to right, beginning 
at that end of the hole which is away from the edge of the 
bodice. The silk must be quite at the edge at starting ; the 
needle is therefore first slipped up between material and 
lining, and the silk from the eye brought forward and passed 
under the point from left to right ; the needle is drawn 
through and upwards to form the purl at the edge of the 
slit, the thread from the last stitch being always kept back 
and quite away from the needle. The needle is then put 
through from the back of the slit and the process repeated. 
The round end is not overcast as in white work ; the same 
stitch is used throughout. 

Another method of working button-hole stitch is also 
from left to right. In this the needle is put through and 
drawn out till a little loop of silk is left at the edge of the 
hole; through this the needle is passed from the back, and 
the purl drawn up as before. 

Tailors' button-hole stitch is worked in a different way, 
the loop being made before the needle is set into the 
edge. Fig. 28 shows it worked from right to left, the silk 
from the last stitch cast upwards and towards the left in a 
circle, the upper part of 
which rests against the 
work; the lower is held 

under the left thumb til] / — "fa Am n Tinmnn 
the needle has been set [ TailoI 4- Button . hole stitoh 

in the edge and drawn 
through, when it is re- 
leased to allow the purl 
to be formed. It is the 
English custom to work 
button-hole-stitch from left 




Fig. 28. 



to right, the French from right to left, but the stitch is 
exactly the same in each method if all the movements are 
I 2 




n6 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking, 

reversed : thus in the first method, if worked right to left, 
the silk from the eye would be passed under the point from 
right to left too, or always in the same direction as the work 
is proceeding. This practically gives us six methods of 
working true button-hole stitch. Whichever method is 
adopted, the stitch should be set in about one-eighth of an 
inch deep and drawn up perfectly straight to the top, and 
crowding should be carefully guarded against, as button- 
holes too closely worked are neither ornamental nor durable. 
In addition to running or overcasting, very careful 
workers strand their button-holes — i.e., carry a thread of silk 

across each edge over which to 
work the stitch. In stranding, 
a tiny upward stitch is taken 
at one end of the hole, and 
a tiny downward one at the 
stranding | the Hole other, and the two stitches, 

being repeated, leave two 
strands of silk along each edge 
vi of the slit, below which the 

r lg. 29. ' 

needle is to come at every stitch. 
Opinions are divided as to the value of stranding, some 
workers giving it high praise and others contending that it 
draws the holes in and gives them an inclination to pucker. 
The latter is certainly the case if they are not cut to a 
thread and the stranding threads are drawn at all tightly. 
Back-stitching can, if preferred, be substituted for running 
and stranding, and gives the good results of both. Care 
should be taken in working button-holes to keep the edges 
as close together as possible. Occasionally very large 
button-holes are used for ornamental purposes — these are 
cut and bound with inch wide strips of silk on the cross. 
The strips are doubled, and the raw edges placed together 
and run on at the outside, then turned over and the fold 
hemmed down inside, the join coming to the square end 
of the button-hole. 



CHAPTER VII. 

THE GORED SKIRT. 

Dimensions— Style— Goring— Measures for Skirt-cutting— Cutting Out- 
Darts, Pleats, and Gathers — Wedging— Joining the Gores — Seams 
— The Mantua-maker's Seam — The French or Double Seam — Joining 
Lace — Bottom Facing and Finishing — The Fall of the Skirt — Figures 
requiring Special Measures — Fixing the Facing — Trained Skirts — 
Pockets and Plackets — Separate, Flat, and Bag Pockets —Sewing in 
the Tocket — The Skirt Belt — Preparing the Top of the Skirt — Arrange- 
ment o' the Back Breadth — Finishing the Front of the Waist — Cording 
and Binding the Waist — Double Belting — Fastening the Skirt to 
the Bodice — Foundation Skirt — Bottom Braids — Skirt Difficulties — 
Corpulent Figures. 

The narrowest skirt in which a woman can walk should 
be in bottom edge width a few inches more than twice its 
own length ; therefore it will be found that the narrowest 
skirts are about two and a-quarter yards round. From two 
and a-half yards upwards, however, is needed to allow the 
average wearer to step freely, and lined skirts should be 
at least three yards in the bottom edge. 

The style varies with fashion, but a well-fitting skirt 
should hang even all the way round the bottom edge, 
should fit close and clear at the hips, without however 
being strained round to define the figure too closely, and 
should take a slight outward slant as it comes down from 
hips to bottom edge. The seams should not slope either 
backward or forward, but should appear to the eye 
as a straight line from the waist downward. The part 
which is technically considered the front of the skirt, 
and which consists of the front breadth and either the 
two or the four side-gores, should not have the slightest 
inclination to drop in between the feet, and should be wide 
enough at the part where the hips are fullest (about seve» 



n8 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking. 

or eight inches below the waist) to fall well behind the 
figure, that the back, which is drawn in to a space of three 
or four inches at the waist, may not be made to spread 
unduly at the same hips level (seven to eight inches below 
the waist) ; and in particular the back portion of the skirt, 
which is intended to hang loose and full to prevent the 
figure being defined too closely, should not hang forward 
at the sides, or fall in to the heels behind. It is desirable 
that as little material as possible (consistent with the 
prevailing style) should be used, as heavy skirts are not 
comfortable in wear ; and the general dislike to any extra 
fulness in the form of pleats of gathers round the hips 
and waist, excepting the few inches at the top of the back, 
is so strong that the cutter makes every effort to avoid it in 
planning out the cut of the skirt. 

A number of straight breadths run together will not 
meet these requirements at all, as they would give a 
straight skirt hanging close at the bottom edge and re- 
quiring a large amount of pleating or gathering to bring the 
top into the waist size; it is therefore usual to gore the 
breadths, which is done in the following manner, single- 
width material being the basis of operations : — 



cr^^r 



I 




Fig. 30. — Goring for Front Breadth. Fig. 31. —Goring for Side-gores. 

GORED SKIRT (MEDIUM SINGLE- WIDTH MATERIAL). 



The Gored Skirt. 



H9 



A front breadth is gored by half the width being 
sloped off from the top down, but in such a manner as to 
take the quantity sloped off from both sides, leaving it 
wedge-like in shape when opened (see Fig. 32 ). A front 
breadth is, therefore, a width of material half as wide at the 
top as at the bottom, with both sides on the bias ; it is 
always hollowed out at the top about half an inch, to allow 
it to sit close to the waist of the figure without wrinkling. 



1 — — I 




p^^a*-^ 


/ s 




1 
1 
t 


/ \ 




\ 


1 \ 




\ 


i \ 

1 1 




\ 


/ \ 


1 


\ 

\ 


1 1 

/ \ 


3 

p. 
■8 


\ 
\ 

\ 


Front Breadth 




^Nswvgw^N^Nw"*"*^ 


Ot>en 




Side-gore 


Fi*j. 32. 




Fig- 33- 



For side-gores the width is divided into three, one- 
third being marked up from the selvedge at one end, and 
one-third down from the other selvedge at the other end, 
and from one of these marks to the other the slanting line 
of cutting is made, the line running across the twill if there 
is one on the stuff. (It is better to chalk the line across 
and cut through it than to fold over by it and cut in the 
fold; with springy stuffs, such as alpaca, the latter plan 
almost invariably brings out one gore wider than the other.) 

A side-gore is, therefore, a division of a width of 
material half as wide at top as at bottom, one side being 
selvedge and one side on the bias of the material. Half an 
inch is hollowed from the top of the side gore (from the 
selvedge side) to fit it to the curve of the waist. True goring 



120 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking. 

gives this proportion of two-thirds at the bottom to one- 
third at the top to all side-gores where wide single-width 
material is used. This goring (which, it must be remem- 
bered, is for side gores only) gives two gores, both the same 
size and shape, from one length of stuff; but if the material 
is patterned, one gore will be found to be both upside 
down and inside out, a point which needs consideration 
when the quantity of material to cut from is being cal- 
culated (see page 182), as one gore only can be cut from 
each width. The other part must be used for bodice or 
sleeves; therefore the quantity does not cut to so much 
advantage either for bodice or skirt. 

The back should, strictly speaking, be a plain unshaped 
breadth, but this varies with fashion, and one-third of the 
width is often gored off, either in the centre of the back or 
at the sides, or gores and wedges are used. 

A plain unshaped back breadth would be full at the 
waist and inclined to hang straight down. If it is gored off 
at the sides, the centre of the back would still be inclined 
to hang straight down, but the sides would be fuller at the 
bottom, and (if the fronts were wide enough) would keep 
it away from the feet behind very nicely. A back with a 
bias centre seam would hang full and away from the feet 
at the middle and straight at the sides, and so would give 
the best " hang " a skirt can have ; but the gored seam is not 
liked, and, unless it is fashionable, is generally regarded as 
a serious objection. When this effect is desired, therefore, 
it is usual to add in the centre a wedge (or length gored off 
at each side, in the same way as the front), which gives a 
flowing back without a centre seam. This is the plan 
generally adopted for trained gored skirts, and is used for 
lined walking skirts when a full bottom edge is fashionable. 

The shape of front breadth, side gores, and back 
breadth does not vary, and the proportion of their top and 
bottom widths respectively would always remain the same, 
but materials of varying widths must be gored (or divided) 



The Gored Skirt. 



121 



differently. Double-width material, opened and gored for 
side gores, would give them much too large at both ends, 
and with far too much slope on the bias side to sit or look 
well ; whilst twenty-inch silk treated in the same way would 
give small and narrow gores, and double-width material 
gored without opening would give gores equally narrow. 

Rules for goring single-width material, twenty-four to 
twenty-seven inches wide, are as already given. Three 
or four lengths are required — one for front breadth, one 
or two for side gores, one or two for back breadth. If 



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Fig. 35. 



Fig. 36. 



GORED SKIRT (NARROW SINGLE- WIDTH MATERIAL) 



only three lengths are used, the skirt is narrow even for a 
foundation skirt, and it is better to use either larger gores or 
four gores instead of two, or to put another width in the back. 

The following diagrams and rules give the standard 
methods of goring materials of different widths. 

Silk or velvet, eighteen to twenty-two inches wide, gives 
convenient side gores if half the width of the material is left 
in the top, and the whole width in the bottom ; such gores 
waste very little of the material if it is non-reversible. Five 
or six lengths are required — one for front, two for side gores, 
two or three for back. If it is reversible silk (up or down), 



122 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking. 

and the narrow gores are liked, two widths can be gored 
for four side gores in the same way as for twenty-four 
to twenty-seven-inch stuff. The wedged side-gore shown 
(Fig. 35) should only be used when wide skirts are in 
vogue. 

Thirty-two inch print can be cut in the same way as 
twenty-four to twenty-seven inch material, or the side-gores 
may be the full width of the material at the bottom to half the 
width at the top to make a wider skirt, if only one breadth 
is used in the back. If for a very slight figure, the front 




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Fig. 37- 



Fig. 38. 



GOKED SKIRT (WIDE SINGLE-WIDTH MATERIAL). 

breadth, after being marked off, can be narrowed two inches 
at the same slope. This brings the seam nearer the front, 
and gives the skirt a hang more like that of twenty-four 
to twenty-seven inch material. Four or five lengths are 
required — one for front, one or two for side gores, one or 
two for back. 

Double-width material (forty-two to forty-six inches), or 
fifty-two cloth or tweed, may be gored according to any 
of the following rules : — 

No. 1 gives a straightforward skirt which sits and hangs 
well. There are two gores at each side, and the back 



The Gored Skirt. 



123 



breadth must be shaped unless a third length is cut for 
it. Two lengths are required. 





Fig. 39. Fig. 40 

GORED SKIRT (DOUBLE-WIDTH MATERIAL NO. i). 

For narrow materials, or large figures, the wider pro- 
portions of No. 2 are used (the narrower lines are for non- 
reversible stuffs). Three lengths are required in each case. 



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Fig. 41. 



Fie 



GORED SKrRT (DOUBLE-WIDTH MATERIAL NO. 2). 

No. 3 gives a skirt with narrow front, wide side gores, 
and an unshaped back breadth, which of course may be 



124 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking. 

narrowed or gored off if less fulness in the top is preferred. 
Two lengths are required. Suitable for wide cloth or tweed. 
In a gored skirt of single-width material with only one 
gore in each side and one back breadth, the bottom edge 
width is only barely sufficient for a foundation skirt or a 
housemaid's print gown. For ladies' walking skirts two 
gores should be used at each side instead of one, or two 
gored breadths in the back to make the fulness more 
ample. It is quite optional to use either the two side- 
gores or the fuller back breadth, or both when a wider or 





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Breadth for Back 



Fig. 43' 



Fig- 44- 



GORED SKIRT (DOUBLE-WIDTH MATERIAL NO. 3). 

fuller skirt is desired, and preference should be given to 
the one or the other according to the fashion ; but as a 
rule the increase is better placed in the back. Where this 
would not leave the " front " of the skirt wide enough to 
turn the hips well (as with narrow silk or velvet), the four 
side-gores should be used ; but half of the top of each back 
gore can be gathered or pleated into the belt with the top of 
the back breadth, and set on the elastic with it to draw it 
well back, thus practically only leaving a gore and a half to 
each side of the front, and adding the width of half a gore 
at each side to the back itself. 



The Gored Skirt. 125 

The measures required for skirt-cutting are : — 

The length of the front, from the bottom of the waist- 
belt to the top of the toe. The person being measured 
should not look down, as bending shortens the measure. 

The total hips — taken very easily round the figure at about 
seven or eight inches below the waist. This measure must 
be loose enough to give room to bend, or the skirt will rise 
at the waist, and remain so each time the wearer sits 
down. 

The waist — close enough to be comfortable, not tight. 

The skirt should be cut as follows, if of plain and quite 
reversible material : A length — the length of the skirt with 
an allowance of one and a- half inches for turnings and 
shaping — should be cut off and folded in half down the 
length, selvedge to selvedge, and wrong side out. The fold, 
which will be the centre of the front breadth, should be 
to the cutter and the two selvedges away from her, and 
the end which is to be the waist to her left hand. From the 
selvedges backward on the waist end, half the width of the 
folded material should be marked, using either a pin, a piece 
of French chalk, or a piece of tailors' crayon. From the 
mark the line of goring should be slightly chalked down to 
the selvedges at the bottom edge, but not cut. Next, one 
or two breadths — also with an allowance of one and a-half 
inches for turnings, shaping, and extra length — should be 
cut. (One breadth would give one gore for each side, two 
breadths would give two gores for each side, and when it is 
intended to use the latter number the two breadths should 
be laid face to face, and pinned and gored together, to en- 
sure correct cutting.) These should be marked off for side 
gores, but not cut ; the pieces should then be laid together 
in the same way as the skirt will be made up — i.e. with the 
selvedge edge of one side gore to the sloped line of the front 
breadth — and the whole measured over. 

The front breadth and side gores together, at about 
seven or eight inches below the waist, should measure out 



126 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking. 

from eight to ten inches less than the easy total hips 
measure (eight inches for average figures, ten inches for 
stout ones). This should be carefully checked across, 
and turnings on the seams allowed for; if not large 
enough, less should be gored from the sides of the front 
breadth, or, if too large, the excess marked off from the 
bias sides of the gores. 

The front breadth and side-gores together should 
measure sixteen to twenty inches more across the bottom 
edge than across the hips ; this gives eight to ten 
inches of slope to each side of the front of the skirt. 
The full measure is given, but if the skirt is folded 
as explained, the measures for hips and bottom edge 
must be halved. 

It will be found that material twenty-seven inches wide 
gives these proportions very easily for average figures. 

The top of front breadth and side-gores should be made 
the waist size by pleats lying backward, gathers, or darts 
taken out to reduce the skirt to the right size, either in the 
seams or in the centres of the gores, as fashion may indicate, 
the back breadths being either gathered, box-pleated, or 
laid in pleats folding towards the centre. 

Gathers on pleats are seldom liked, therefore the waist 
should next be checked out, after either three or four inches 
(varying with fashion) has been deducted for the space the 
top of the back breadth will fill. From eight to twelve inches 
excess in size may be expected, and this must be disposed 
of according to the prevailing styles. If for gathers, it 
should be left to be afterwards drawn up on a strong 
thread (see page 147), ready for the band. Darts are really 
pleats, sewn out instead of being merely folded over. Darts 
should be only from an inch to an inch and a half large in the 
front breadth, and are better not larger than two inches even in 
the side gores, unless the difference in size between hips and 
waist is excessive, and even then it is better to put in more 
darts than to have very large ones, The darts should be from 



The Gored Skirt. 127 

four to five inches long, and slightly curved to fall easily over 
the fulness of the figure ; the smaller one should be put 
in the centre of each half of the front breadth and the larger 
one in the centre of each side-gore, unless two smaller ones 
are preferred there, when they should be spaced out to 
come at equal distances from the seam and from each other. 
The darts may be marked with chalk or tacking thread, and 
the waist should still be left about two inches larger than is 
needed, that it may be eased to the belt in the finishing off. 
Pleats should be from an inch to an inch and a half wide 
altogether, and so arranged as to leave the front breadth to 
be eased into the belt, the pleats beginning behind the seams 
and lying close to each other across the tops of the side 
gores. 

Although darts are preferred to pleats or gathers, they are 
particularly unsightly in rich or patterned materials, and are 
generally taken out in the seams, if possible, instead of be- 
tween them. This plan necessitates larger darts (as there 
are fewer seams to work upon unless the gores are small and 
numerous), and should be carefully thought out, and as 
much of the excess of waist size as possible fulled or eased 
into the band to moderate the size of the darts. 

Where fashion ordains that skirts shall fit without 
darts, pleats, gathers, or similar contrivances of the kind 
for reducing the waist to size, the only other way of dealing 
with the gores is to turn them into wedges, which is done 
by sloping some of the excessive waist size away from the 
selvedge sides of the side-gores, leaving each a third as wide 
at the top as at the bottom. (Fig. 35.) The front breadth 
should also be wedged off to leave the top very little more 
than one-third of its bottom width. The lines should be 
chalked and the skirt measured over before cutting, and 
great care must be taken that this wedging does not decrease 
the hip's size, which must not by any means be permitted ; 
less must be wedged off, and the seam curved up from hip 
to waist as a half-dart, if the hips measure will not permit a 



128 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking. 

slanting line from waist to hem. Wedging gives the skirt 
a much fuller "hang" at the front and sides than goring, 
and unless wide skirts are distinctly fashionable should be 
employed most cautiously. 

The waist size being satisfactorily settled, the position 
for pocket and placket openings should be marked. The 
placket opening may be either at the left side or at the 
centre of the back, and should be at least eight inches long 
or longer for a broad-shouldered wearer, as if it does not 
allow the skirt to slip over the shoulders easily it will soon be 
torn down. The opening for the pocket should be six 
inches long, and its place in the skirt varies with fashion. 
It is best hidden, however, in the right-hand seam behind 
the hip, where the back breadth joins the side-gore, and the 
pocket can lie under the fulness ; and the lower end of the 
opening should not be more than twelve inches below the 
waist if the wearer is to reach it comfortably. Nine or ten 
inches below the waist is the usual distance when short 
bodices are worn, and twelve with coat bodices ; this places 
the top of the opening from three to six inches below the 
waist. It is needless to say that these openings should be 
left when the skirt seams are machined up. 

Most workers prefer at this stage to join all seams down, 
leaving the top and bottom shaping till the skirt is ready for 
hem and belt, and as it saves time and labour, the order of 
working deserves recognition. The manner in which the 
seams are joined depends both on the prevailing fashions 
and on the material, but unless the skirts are voluminous the 
seams should be laid open. Such seams lie flatter, and are 
less difficult to manipulate when finishing, especially when 
setting-in the pocket and arranging the lower end of the 
placket. 

The half-inch of hollowing from the top of the front 
breadth need not be actually cut away, but it should be 
tacked round that it may not be forgotten ; and the half-inch 
from the selvedge-edge of each side gore should certainly be 



The Gored Skirt, 129 

cut out, or the waist of the skirt will be found too straight 
after the seams are made if the gores have been joined 
properly — i.e., from the waist down. The writer advises 
making the waist shaping as soon as the " round " (hips, 
bottom edge, and waist) measures have been satisfactorily 
settled, after which the joining of the seams comes next in 
easy order of working. 

In making up, the gores should be joined from the waist 
downwards, a straight to a bias edge being the rule. If 
the back breadths are gored off where they join the sides, 
there would be one seam at each side where two bias edges 
come together ; this is a slight departure from the rules. 

The actual joining of the gores is a matter demanding 
great care, as one edge is on the bias, and if it is stretched 
whilst being set against the straight edge of the other gore, 
the smoothness of the seam and the hang of the skirt are 
both affected. The great point is tQ prevent the bias side 
from being stretched either in the joining or the subsequent 
machining, and this is best accomplished by keeping the 
gores on the table whilst joining them, lifting the edges to- 
gether lightly, and only just sufficiently from the table to put 
in the pins, and pinning without yielding to the temptation 
to smooth the bias edge, which is how half the stretching 
gets done. Small baisting is better than tacking for preparing 
the seams ; it holds the edges together better. As to the 
actual sewing, authorities are divided. Some say seams 
should always be sewn with the bias edge up, and con- 
sequently that half of the skirt must be sewn from the 
top down and half from the bottom up; others say all 
should be joined from the top down, regardless of bias or 
straight edges, the direction, or "pull," of the stitch being 
of more importance than the side of the work kept up. 

It appears to the writer that if once the seams are baisted 
or tacked carefully down, it is quite possible to machine all 
from the top downward with the bias side upward, and 
equ illy so to back-stitch them where hand-sewing is necessary. 

J 



130 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking. 

It is quite easy to back-stitch the one half of the skirt in 
the usual way, working from right to left, and then on the 
second half to reverse the stitch and work from left to 
right ; the stitch looks like the back of the ordinary back- 
stitch when completed, and the pull of the stitch on the 
seam is exactly the same as if it has been worked from right 
to left. In machined seams it certainly is an advantage 
to have the bias edge up, that it may not be stretched as it 
goes under the needle — this can be arranged on the second 
half by rolling the skirt up smoothly towards the seam and 
letting it go under the arm of the machine whilst stitching. 

Run and back-stitch is not so easy to manage, but it 
can be done by having the seam to the worker and the 
skirt away from her ; it is a little awkward to hold, but the 
difficulty is not insurmountable. 

The presser-foot should not hold skirt seams down too 
closely, or it will cause the yielding bias to stretch as it 
passes under, and the tension of the thread should be easy 
enough not to draw up the length of the seam. With thin 
materials this is particularly to be borne in mind. 

Seams. — Various methods of joining the seams of skirts 
must be adopted, according to the exigencies of fashion 
and the material employed, but it is generally considered 
that a flat seam — i.e., one that will allow the turnings to be 
laid equally under each side and that can be pressed open 
— is the best. 

Of this there is no question, but against it the worker 
has to set the value of the time and labour employed in 
neatening or hiding the turnings (a serious item in a gored 
skirt with many seams), and also the appearance of the in- 
side of the finished skirt, which certainly pleases best when 
the seams are quite flat and no turnings are visible. This 
has led to the invention of innumerable methods of making 
the seams, all having the same end in view, namely to make 
and neaten the seam in such a way that the turnings do not 
show, with as little labour as possible. 



The Gored Skirt. 131 

In the highest class of work on lined skirts, each gore is 
mounted on muslin (stiff or soft, as fashion decrees, and 
slightly wider than the outside material), and the seams are 
made exactly the same as those of a bodice ; the seams of the 
lining are joined separately, and both sets of seams separately 
pressed; both are then tacked together at the waist and 
bottom edge with the turnings between the two, that inside 
and outside of the skirt may be equally neat. Here and there 
the lining seams are caught with tiny catch stitches to the 
seams of the outer material, to hold all closely together: 
Sometimes the lining is hemmed in by hand, one edge only 
being folded down and hemmed through the other to the 
turnings of the outer seams. The waist and bottom edge are 
then finished as usual. Cloth and other firm materials can be 
made up in this way without the muslin interlining, but with 
softer materials it is absolutely necessary if a smooth, firm 
seam is to result. This plan offers some little difficulty in 
setting-in the pocket (see page 142), but the objection may 
be dealt with by joining all the parts for the " front " of the 
skirt and then cutting out one lining to it, the seams of the 
lining having been previously joined without regard to 
where they will fall. The back may be lined in the same 
way, and the two side seams joined through like those 
of a bodice, all the others being between stuff and lining. 
This is very convenient for setting-in the pocket and 
finishing the placket ; but, of course, the two seams show 
on the inside, and need careful neatening. 

The easiest way of making up close-hanging lined skirts 
of ordinary woollen dress materials is as above, or else by 
making up material and lining together exactly as a bodice 
is made and neatening the seams in the same way (overcasting 
or binding), afterwards catching the turnings at intervals to 
the lining of the skirt to keep the seams flat; and that is 
the method usual at present, when woollen circular skirts 
have only a few seams ; but the inside does not look well 
when the skirt is turned. Some workers prefer to cut down 
J 2 



132 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking. ' 

the turnings in such a way as to leave one turning of the 
lining much wider than the rest, and to fell this neatly down 
over the other edges to the lining of the skirt. This looks 
better inside, but on the outside it will now appear that 
one side of the seam is depressed and the other raised — 
always the case when the turnings are laid to one side, or 
not laid open. 

Again, the turnings are trimmed down and laid open, 
and a ribbon is hemmed along to each side of the lining, 
covering them entirely ; this is flat, but patchy-looking, and 
very far from sightly inside. 

For wide gored skirts the old-fashioned plan of lining has 
its advantages of economy of time and labour. The front 
breadth is first baisted to the lining, and the seam is then 
arranged as follows. The side gore lining is placed face 
up on the table; on this the lined front breadth is placed 
face up. Upon this again the side gore (material) is 
placed face down. The four pieces thus placed are ready 
to be sewn together. The seams should be machined and 
pressed and the turnings trimmed down to be of unequal 
width, each a little narrower than the other, to save a ridge 
showing through, and when the lining and material of the 
side gore are turned over to each other it will be found that 
the seam has been made and neatened by the one length 
of sewing, as the turnings are quite hidden between lining 
and material. The material and lining of the side gore 
should be baisted together and the process repeated with the 
next gore, it being always remembered that the seams must 
be pressed before turning over, as it is almost impossible 
to press them satisfactorily afterwards, and there is always 
the risk of pressing the mark of a ridge through from the 
edges of the turnings, which, as in the preceding method, 
are laid to one side, the four edges being always between 
the last pieces joined on. 

Eveiy seam can be joined in the same manner, working 
from each side of the front breadth backwards, the whole 



The Gored Skirt. 133 

of the skirt being between the lining and material of the 
back when the last seam is made. If the back breadth 
is wide, the whole skirt can be turned right side out quite 
easily after all seams have been made : but if the backs are 
narrow and much gored, or the material is one that will 
crush easily, it is wiser to join one lining and two materials 
only in the last seam of all, and to neaten by felling the 
other lining over it 

This method does not make an equally flat seam, and so 
does not belong to the best class of work, but it is quick, 
and keeps the material fresh, and so is worthy of con- 
sideration. It is, in conjunction with the preceding method 
of joining and finishing, of the greatest value for securing 
the "panel" effect desired in skirts made of many gores of 
alternating colour, one depressed and the other raised, and 
aiming to give the effect of an upper skirt slashed to show 
an underskirt of contrasting colour beneath. 

For unlined skirts there is the mantua maker's hem, 
or seam which makes the seam and neatens it in one 
length of stitching, but which is too clumsy for thick stuffs 
or closely hanging skirts, and cannot be well pressed out. 
Mantua maker's hem is extremely clumsy if made by 
machine, and has, therefore, dropped almost entirely out of 
use. To make it, the two lengths to be joined are put 
together face to face, with one raw edge (the bias one) 
a quarter of an inch below the other. (If the straight edge 
is a selvedge, so much the better, as one turn can be saved, 
and it will make the join less bulky.) The straight edge is 
turned as for a hem, and laid down over the bias. It 
is then closely hemmed along, each stitch taking up the 
fold of the hem 'and the two thicknesses of the stuff below 
it, thus making and neatening the seam at the one time. 
The French or double seam has a little advantage over the 
mantua maker's seam in point of bulk, but does not press 
well. The French or double seam (which French workers 
call English seam) is made by placing edge to edge, the two 



134 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking. 

lengths to be joined together, the right sides of both 
pieces being outside, and machining or running very closely 
at a quarter of an inch down from the edge, or less if 
the material is a firm one and not likely to fray out. The 
line of stitching is pressed, and little irregularities are pared 
away ; the lengths are then turned over, and a second line 
of stitching made as close to the edge as possible, on the 
wrong side. Care should be taken that the second row 
of stitching is sufficiently far in from the turn to quite 
enclose the raw edges. The finished seam is not unlike 
one made in the ordinary way, with the turnings neatened 
by turning in edge to edge, and sewing down, except 
that only one line of sewing is visible inside. French 
seam is used for unlined diaphanous fabrics. Overcast or 
bound seams can be pressed flat, but the work of over- 
casting, or binding, each side of each seam must be con- 
sidered, especially if there are many seams to the skirt, and 
finishing the turnings upon themselves with a machined 
hem (as explained for washing dresses, page 161) calls for the 
same consideration. Machine and fell is only suitable for 
foundation skirts, as a second line of sewing showing through 
is not permitted in the seams of skirts proper. Drapery 
seams of every kind must be flat and pressed open— the least 
stiffness or obstinacy in the seams will spoil the natural fall 
of the folds ; here neatness must give way to the outside 
effect, and leave the turnings raw-edged, or they must be 
only very slightly overcast. 

Lace is joined by one edge being laid upon the other, 
matching the pattern as nearly as possible, cutting the 
upper part round to the design, and closely darning or 
overcasting it down, raw edged, to it ; the turnings of 
the under part are then treated in the same way, all the 
sewing being done from the face, and the extremely fine 
stitches used being set in to follow the design rather than 
by evenly following each other to show the seam by drawing 
the eye to it. This is very dainty work, more like lace- 



The Gored Skirt, 135 

making than dressmaking, and is not so necessary where the 
seam falls amongst folds. It can then be run or stitched, 
opened flat, and finely overcast back to the outer lace. 

All selvedges must be notched across at intervals for 
seams of any class, if they are to look smooth and flat. 

The seams having been joined, pressed, and neatened 
(if the latter is needed), the skirt is ready for the bottom 
facing and finishing. Lined skirts may have an outside 
(false) hem of trimming (velvet, silk, etc.) as well as an inside 
facing, in which case they may be finished up in the 
way explained for foundation skirts, the velvet being first 
mounted on muslin to make it sit smoothly to the skirt ; or, 
preferably, the latter may be entirely finished, and the false 
hem or band of velvet mounted on muslin and prepared 
as described for inside hems stiffened with horsehair, and 
finally slip-stitched to the skirt at both edges. 

It has been stated that the bottom edge of a well-cut 
skirt should flow outward (sufficiently so, in fact, to quite 
shadow the feet when the wearer is in a standing position — 
and a skirt which does not fulfil this condition is never 
quite satisfactory). To maintain this effect, frills, flounces, 
ruches, linings of crinoline and horsehair, balayeuses (or 
inside frills), wadded hems and rolls, etc., are all used 
in turn, and anything in the choice of lining or in the 
finishing of the bottom edge of a skirt that allows it to 
fall soft, or that draws it in in the slightest degree, is at 
once rejected as not meeting the requirements of the work. 
Methods of finishing which leave the edges thin are, there- 
fore, less favoured than those which leave them firm and 
full, and all hems, stiffening, etc., are cut amply wide, and 
bindings, etc., well eased on, to guard against the danger of 
drawing in. 

Straight skirts are cut longer than required, and the 
hem is simply turned up, but with gored skirts this plan 
would necessitate laying the top edge of the hem in a series 
of little pleats, which are bulky and unsightly, and soon 



136 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking. 

rub thin in wear — a separate added (or false) hem is always 
used in good work. 

This should be about ten inches deep, rather wider than 
the skirt edge, and exactly shaped to it, as lengths on the 
straight would need fitting down by the pleats at the top 
edge also. Lengths on the cross are sometimes used, but 
though they do not need fitting down with the series of 
little pleats at the top as those on the straight do, they 
do not sit so smoothly as a shaped hem, though it must be 
admitted that the latter cuts into a large quantity of material, 
if it is seamless. 

If it is an outside hem, it must be the same way of the 
stuff as the skirt itself, and the joins as few as the width 
will permit, and always so arranged that they fall at the 
side seams, and never at the middle of either front or 
back. With an inside hem or facing, a little more freedom 
may be permitted, and it may be cut either w r ay of the stuff, 
or from the strips left from the front and back goring, but the 
facing for both sides of the skirt should be alike — not one on 
the straight and one on the cross, or some difficulty of pulling 
or lifting will certainly occur ; the joins should also be at 
the side seams, and the shaping of the skirt edge carefully 
followed. 

The joins in the facing should be made and pressed 
open, the skirt then folded down the centre and pinned 
together at the waist and down each side seam, and the 
lengths carefully checked from the already shaped waist 
down the centre of the front, down each side seam, and 
down the centre of the back. For gored skirts the side 
seam is usually made half an inch longer than the front, and 
the centre of the back one inch longer than the front, but 
this may vary with fashion, and must be regulated accord- 
ingly. Where the figure is one requiring variation from 
the usual rules, the special measures taken for the purpose 
should be used. The lengths should be marked with pins 
or chalk, and a slightly-curved line carried from one to the 



The Gored Skirt. 137 

other. The lengths should also be checked down from the 
waist at two or three other parts of the skirt, as well as 
from the points already indicated, to ensure correctness in 
the run of the bottom edge, and great care should be 
taken that the line does not peak either up or down at the 
centre of front and of back, but takes a straight run for a 
few inches in from the fold. (This is a fault to be specially 
guarded against in skirt cutting, and the fold should be 
opened and laid flat after cutting, and any slight peaking up 
or down straightened off.) The bottom edge is pared away 
to within half an inch of the curve, and the skirt is then 
ready for the facing. Two methods of fixing this are here 
given, either of which may be used for gored skirts at the 
option of the worker. 

I. — The skirt is laid face upwards on the table, and 
upon it the facing, face downwards. If a stiffening of 
checked or stiff muslin is used, it would be half an inch 
narrower than the facing, and laid above it. The three thick- 
nesses are machined through just the half-inch above the 
bottom of the skirt edge allowed for in the checking down 
of the lengths, the tension of the stitch being made loose 
enough not to draw in the line of sewing. The stitching is 
pressed, and the stiffening and facing turned up to the 
inside of the dress ; the extra half-inch of facing is turned 
down over the stiffening and hemmed down to the lining 
only of the skirt. The bottom braid, or a binding of bias 
velveteen, is then laid to the outside of the skirt edge and 
run along, and finally turned over and hemmed along the 
inside to finish. The custom of finishing bottom edges in 
this way, and putting a piped cording of silk between, dates 
from the times when skirts were plain, full, and long, and 
carried in the hand, and when the bottom edge was there- 
fore an object of special attention as to careful finish. The 
habit of folding the braid and sewing it in between skirt and 
facing is no doubt a survival of the methods then found 
most useful ; but with ordinary walking dresses the braid 



138 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking. 

wears out before the material, and should be put on in such 
a way that it may easily be removed and renewed. 

II. — By this method the facing is prepared and 
joined, and the stiffening (cut the required depth without 
turnings) also prepared and joined. The bottom edge of 
the skirt should be turned up the half-inch allowed in 
checking the length, and tacked round or herring-boned 
down to the lining only ; the top and bottom edges of the 
facing turned over the stiffening and tacked through it, and 
then the facing fixed into place a little above the skirt 
bottom and hemmed on at both edges, the velvet binding 
or braid being folded and sewn between. This method is 
quite necessary for circular skirts, which are apt to drop at 
the sides and back and to require occasional shortening oft 
(for alterations of this kind handwork is much easier to open 
and replace than machine stitching), and is for all skirts a 
very complete finish. It will be noticed that the stiffening 
is enclosed in the facing, and not in the skirt itself. With 
horsehair, this is very necessary, as, if put in quite to the 
bottom edge of the skirt itself, it soon cuts through, whilst 
in the facing it can be raised a little above it. The upper 
edge of the stiffening too, always an eyesore in a plain 
skirt, however carefully arranged, is a trifle less conspicuous 
if it is enclosed in the hem. The "push" of the top is 
then inward, rather than outward, and thus shows less than 
it does when tacked into the skirt itself. With stiffenings 
of horsehair this is a serious consideration, as it is very 
stiff, even when it is cut on the cross. 

Indeed, the use of stiffening in the skirt edge is a rather 
clumsy resource at any time, the wide effect being easier to 
secure if the upper petticoat below it is stiffened either with 
starched flounces, or with pleats and frills of horsehair. 
Upper skirts of moreen trimmed with a couple of narrow 
flounces round the bottom edge set out the dress skirt well 
enough to give a moderately full effect, which will generally 
satisfy average wearers, especially if a narrow strip of 



The Gored Skirt. 139 

horsehair is doubled and enclosed in the hern of each 
flounce, both being cut on the cross. 

Washing skirts should only have a deep hem at the 
bottom, not be lined through, and the bottom edges of lined 
velvet or velveteen skirts should not be faced up with their 
own material, but with silk or some other smooth finishing. 
The same applies to skirts of lace, net, gauze, and other thin 
soft fabrics that would easily rub through or tear. 

Trained skirts should be full enough to flow easily, but 
not so much so as to be heavy, and the back breadth should 
be shaped as explained (page 120), which takes three 
widths of silk ; the front and side gores may be cut wider 
in the bottom edge, as the train may draw the skirt in at 
the feet a little, if heavy. The length of the front and also 
of the back from the waist being ascertained, the widths of 
material should be cut accordingly, those for the side being 
cut half-way between the lengths of the others. The 
widths are joined from the waist down, and the hips, waist, 
and bottom edge widths carefully checked, as already 
directed. The surplus length of each side gore is then 
curved off from the length of the front breadth to the 
side seam, where the surplus length of the back breadth 
is also curved off as far as the centre one of the three 
widths, the bottom of which should only be slightly 
rounded, not sloped off in a sharp peak. A deep shaped 
facing of the outside material is required, which should 
reach to the level of six inches above the ground all the 
way round, and thus is deepest in the train ; and a thick 
cord is used at the edge instead of a bottom braid. This 
should be held easy for the edge, and overcast to it with 
silk which matches in colour; it will then roll over and 
conceal the sewing on. 

It is better to finish the bottom edge before setting-in 
the pocket, as the slight bulk of the latter increases the 
difficulty of measuring out both sides of the skirt exactly 
the same length ; but when this has been done the placket 



140 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking. 

should be finished to be ready for the belt, and the pocket 
set in and finished off. 

Pockets and plackets are admitted into dressmaking as 
necessary evils, and some very particular wearers endeavour 
to dispense with either or both, resorting to various ex- 
pedients to accomplish this end, with varying success. 
One of these expedients is to have the pocket in the top 
petticoat or underskirt, or a quite separate pocket tied on 
at the waist, and to lift the dress skirt bodily each time 
it is necessary to get to purse or handkerchief; but this 
plan is not generally liked, and it is considered better to 
have an opening in the skirt just at that part which will 
allow the hand to be most readily introduced into the 
under-pocket. This plan is troublesome where there are 
many folds, amongst which the pocket opening gets lost, 
and can only be found after a good deal of seeking ; and 
when such skirts are popular, outside pockets, prettily 
made and ornamented, and fastened to the waist by 
ribbons, are almost sure to be used. (Where the pocket 
is meant to fall inside the skirt it should be as flat as 
possible, and the setting is so arranged as to leave the 
opening an opening, and not a wide hole, especially if 
the upper part of the skirt is plain and the opening well 
forward on the figure.) 

The pockets generally in use in dressmaking are either 
flat or bag; the shapes may vary a little, but the pockets 
will be found to be much the same in character. The flat 
pocket belongs to the best class of work. It is usually 
about fourteen inches long and seven wide when it 
is finished, and the slit, about six inches long, should 
begin about two inches down from the top. It should 
be made of bodice lining, black-backed if the skirt is 
dark and has a dark lining, and the pocket is to come 
quite inside the skirt; but a piece of the dark skirt lining 
or foundation material should not be used, if only out of 
consideration for the wearer's pocket-handkerchief. To 



The Gored Skirt. 141 

make the pocket, the place for the slit should first be 
marked ; a piece of the dress material about eight inches 
long and four or more inches wide should be laid over 
it on the inside of the pocket, and the four edges neatly 
turned under, machined, and pressed. The back of the 
pocket also needs a similar piece of material to face it on 
the inside, that the pocket opening may show the material, 
and therefore be less likely to attract the eye. When 
these pieces have been sewn on, the slit should be cut to 
allow the pocket to be afterwards turned out, the edges 
being closed by French seam. The pieces should be laid 
together with the faced parts outside for the first line of 
stitching, that the seam may come outside when the 
second line has been made; and a length of firm ribbon 
or Paris binding should be put between the two pieces of 
lining at the top of the pocket, and sewn in with them. 
When the pocket is turned, the ribbon will be securely and 
neatly sewn to the top and will be ready for sewing to the 
waist-band, to take the weight of the pocket from the seam. 
The setting-in depends on the finish of the skirt seams, 
but with a flat seam the pocket (turned inside out) should 
be laid against the face of the skirt, with the bottom of the 
slit against the bottom of the opening, and the inside of 
the skirt towards the worker. Each side should be firmly 
back-stitched up, the sewing being exactly in a line with 
the fold of the seam at the top and bottom ends of the 
opening, though midway it may go back a quarter of an 
inch into the skirt turnings to give it a tendency to close ; 
and the worker must be careful to take as little out of the 
pocket itself in the way of turnings as secure sewing will 
allow, for the amount of turnings taken up from the pocket 
at the lower end of the slit affects the hang of the seam 
largely. If they are at all deep, the opening is inclined to 
remain open, and this in turn lifts the skirt seam slightly, 
and makes it hang short. The quantity taken up should 
taper away to nothing at the bottom of the slit This is 



142 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking. 

particularly necessary when the opening for the pocket 
has to be cut in the skirt instead of being left in the seam, 
as with the circular seamless umbrella skirts of 1891 and 
1892. The quantity of turnings taken out of both skirt 
and pocket should be the very slightest, the top and 
bottom ends being only overcast very closely and thickly, 
and no seam taken up at all. The setting-in of pockets to 
these skirts was an exceedingly careful operation, and 
fashionable dressmakers simplified it by putting the pocket 
in at the placket opening, where it could be effectually 
hidden, and could be reached without much difficulty by 
the wearer's left hand. (When this plan has to be adopted 
the bag pocket answers best, but it is only one degree better 
than having no pocket at all.) 

With foundation skirts the same care with top and 
bottom ends is necessary ; in addition, the line of sewing 
on each side must run exactly in the fold of the skirt seam 
also, or the finishing of the outer draperies against it will 
be much complicated and very unsatisfactory in effect. 

After the pocket is securely sewn in, the seams should 
be pressed and then closely overcast, the ribbon from the 
top fixed to the waistband, and the upper corners of the 
pocket attached to the lining of the skirt by a fan of five or 
seven stitches, to keep it flat and in position. The pocket 
should be fixed to be easy in the width for the skirt, or it 
will keep the sides of the opening apart. This method of 
setting in is quite easy if the skirt seams are made through, 
but is less so if the turnings are between, as those of the 
lining have then to be snipped at top and bottom of the 
opening to bring them to the inside, which weakens them. 
To obviate this, that part of the skirt which is to carry the 
pocket is sometimes strengthened ; an extra piece of lining- 
being made in with the outer stuff, and the pocket set into 
the outside only, the lining seams being closed all the way 
up and the pocket falling between lining and skirt. With 
thin stuffs this might show the edges of the pocket through 



The Gored Skirt. 143 

too plainly, and so it is allowed to go quite inside the lining, 
the fold of which is then hemmed down on each side of the 
setting-in to quite cover the raw-edged turnings. 

Flat pockets lie equally under both sides of the seam or 
opening, and certainly fill up the skirt less when used to- 
wards the front or sides of the figure ; but there are styles in 
skirts where bag pockets are more suitable, as with seams 
very far back in the skirt, under folds to which the corners 
of a flat pocket cannot be attached, or where it is preferred 
that the pocket should be under one side of the seam only, 
as with draped foundation skirts. The bag pocket can be 
very conveniently used for gored skirts lined in the old way, 
(with all the turnings laid to one side of each seam, in the 
manner detailed on page 132), for it lies very nicely between 
lining and outside material. The pocket must in this case 
be put in when that seam is in course of making, instead of 
after all the seams are finished. 

The mouth of the bag pocket is faced with a piece of 
material to the level of two inches below the lower end of 
the mouth ; the pocket is then made by French seam, or 
simply machined round and the turnings overcast or bound. 
In cutting these pockets the seam is often carried all round, 
or if there is a fold it is put at the longer side, throwing the 
seam to the lower end of the mouth. When it is remem- 
bered that, including the facing, this seam is four-fold in 
thickness just where the setting-in needs the finest finish- 
ing, it will be seen how great an objection the seam is, and 
why flat pockets are considered superior. The seam should 
be left open for half an inch at the top, and sewn to the 
turnings of the skirt-seam at each side, but no attempt 
should be made to take a hold upon it across the lower end of 
the mouth ; put in in this way it will be flatter, and the risk 
of lifting the seam will be avoided. The setting-in would 
then be much the same as that of the flat pocket as far as 
the lower end and sides are concerned ; but the upper part, 
above the opening, should either be overcast together, or, 



144 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking. 

preferably, the sewing should be continued up each side to 
the turnings of the closed skirt seam until the top is reached, 
where it should be attached to the waist-band by a ribbon 
and finished off in every respect as already explained. (If 
the opening for the pocket must be cut in the dress, instead 
of being left in a seam, a flat pocket should be used.) 

Wherever and whenever it is possible to have it so, the 
pocket and placket should be made in a seam, as it allows 
better turnings and gives a better hold, and is more econo- 
mical where the possibility of having to alter the dress and 
utilise the parts in some other way has to be taken into con- 
sideration. This end is best attained by making the placket 
opening at the left-hand side, where the back breadth joins 
the side gore ; but the material has the disadvantage of being 
on the bias at this part, and as the opening falls on the curve 
of the hips, and it is desirable to make the flap or wrap 
from material on the cross too, that it may adapt itself to 
the curve and keep the placket close, there is the risk of the 
opening stretching and allowing the seam to drop long. 
This risk, however, is less serious in fact than in theory, 
and the plan is for many styles preferable to an opening 
at the back ; indeed, the placket has to change its posi- 
tion altogether at times and come well forward, some- 
times as far as the first seam. It is usual, however, in 
better-class work to put the placket at the centre of the back 
where the material is on the straight ; but, wherever it may 
be placed, the method of finishing varies very little. The 
opening is made amply long to allow the dress to slip on 
easily, eight to ten inches being usual. 

The left side is finished by a strip of the material about 
four inches wide being run on the face, pressed, turned over 
and hemmed just on the line of sewing, thus leaving a flap 
or false hem of double material one and a-half inch wide 
to fall under the other side and prevent gaping. The bottom 
of the flap is either bound or turned in edge to edge and 
pvercast j the end is then hemmed along to the lining under 



The Gored Skirt. 145 

the right side, to still further assist the inclination to close. 
The top of the flap is finished in the same way as the other 
part of the waist. 

The right-hand side is finished by being faced in for 
two or three inches with a strip of the material, which is 
machined on, turned over in the line of sewing, and hemmed 
back to the lining ; or the skirt edge is turned in and the 
facing hemmed against it at both edges. 

The placket is generally secured by a hook sewn mid- 
way under the right-hand side and a silk loop to correspond 
on the left; a lengthways button-hole made in the seam 
where the flap is sewn on, with a small rough button sewn 
to the facing under the right-hand side, has, however, 
much to recommend it, making a firmer and less visible 
closing. 

The skirt belt is prepared by turning a hem at one 
end an inch and a-half deep (or the size of the placket 
facing), hemming it and sewing two strong skirt eyes out- 
side, the sewing to be just on the hem, that the doubled 
part of the belting may extend beyond the eyes. Another 
eye is then sewn on the doubled part quite close to the 
edge. From the eyes the size of the waist is measured, and 
a narrow hem, just wide enough to carry two hooks, turned 
over and hemmed down, and the hooks sewn on inside. 
A third hook should be sewn on to correspond to the 
single eye on the placket part of the belt. Hooks and 
eyes should be overcast on as explained in the chapter on 
" Stitches " (page 108). The belt, when fastened, should be 
exactly the size of the wearer's waist. 

The top of the skirt should be prepared according to 
the method of finishing which it is intended to use. In 
the case of lined skirts, stuff and lining should be tacked 
together, even if they are only to be bound over, and the 
gathers should be drawn up ready for setting on, or the 
pleats made and firmly overcast together quite ready for 
the band. The deep hem at the left-hand or eye-end. 



146 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking. 

which is to serve for belting the placket facing, should be 
pinned into place, the ends of the eyes just level with the 
sewing on of the placket. The belt and the waist of the 
skirt are then divided. If the placket is in the centre of the 
back, and the whole back breadth is to be set into a space 
of three or four inches, half that quantity should be taken 
from each end of the belt, measuring from the ends of the 
hooks and eyes. The portions for the back are pinned to 
each side-seam, and the rest of the band folded, the centre 
fold being placed at the middle of the front breadth. If 
the placket is at the side, the portion of belt for the back 
is measured off and pinned to the side-seam (the placket 
portion being first pinned into place as before), and the 
remainder of the belt divided and the centre pinned to the 
middle of the front, as already explained. 

Dressmakers mark the centre of the belt front with a 
line of tiny cross-stitching in white ; this is handy both to 
worker and wearer, and should always be done. The top 
of the back breadth should be banded first ; if pleated, it 
should be large enough to be well eased to the band, and 
the sewing on of the latter (back and front), whether it is 
seamed, run, or hemmed, should be started from the centre, 
working round to each side seam, the dress being held 
towards the worker and the band away from her. 

The top of the front breadth, if it is cut to fit without 
pleats or gathers, should be slightly eased into the belt 
or band ; and the same holds good of the side gores, 
especially that half of each which will fall upon the curve 
of the hips and behind them. The back breadth, unless 
pleated, should be set in large gathers (see page 147), as they 
fall full and keep the breadth well back where small gathers 
would drop flat, and allow it to hang forward at the sides. 

With some fashions the disposal of the top of the back 
breadth is a matter of serious consideration. If the back is 
to be draped or bunched up in any way below the waist, the 
smaller gathers should be used, and the whole top set into a 



The Gored Skirt. 147 

space of not less than four inches. With straight (undraped) 
skirts, however, the back should be set into a smaller space 
at the waist, three inches being considered ample ; and 
when the breadths are wide and unshaped, it is sometimes a 
question how to pack all the fulness into the space. The 
large gathers are then of great value, as they lie close and 
use up material very rapidly. 

The top of the back breadth should be turned in edge to 
edge, and either run along or overcast closely ; it should 
then be gathered from one side-seam to the other on strong 
thread or (preferably) strong silk the 
colour of the dress — a length of button- 
hole twist serves admirably. This should 
be well fastened on at the beginning, and 
the stitch may be from one inch long to 
the length of an ordinary needle on the 
outside, and a quarter of an inch or less 
on the inside. When all the top is 
gathered, it should be very closely drawn F[ §- 45-— Large Gathers 

J J beamed to Band and 

up on the silk or thread, the latter being Set on Broad Elastic. 

r - . ' ° Inside of Back Breadth. 

wound over and under a pin put in at 
the end to hold it firmly, the gathers regulated, and the 
inside edges fastened together by a row of firm chain- 
stitching or back-stitching. The back is then ready to be 
fastened to the belt by seaming to it from the inside, each 
gather being secured by at least two or three firm stitches. 
Strong thread or twist should be used, and care taken that 
each stitch takes up both material and lining as well as belt, 
and that all the gathers are set into the space of the belt 
reserved for the back. 

If pleated, the pleats should be laid, pinned, and 
baisted down, and the upper edges firmly and strongly 
overcast together, the utmost care being taken to include 
every part of every pleat in the sewing. This is no easy 
matter, as the stitches naturally draw the inside and outside 
top edges together, missing the pleats between, so that the 

K 2 




148 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking. 

skirt hangs long at that particular part. The top may be left 
raw-edged if the waist is to be bound or finished in any way 
that will cover it down ; but if it is to be seamed to the belt, 
or corded down, it is better to turn the top in edge to edge, 
as explained above for gathers, before pleating. 

The problem of finishing the front of the waist, to have 
it perfectly neat inside and out, with the minimum of bulk, 
is one of serious importance to the worker, especially 
as changes of fashion continually necessitate changes of 
method. 

Where belting is used, and the skirt seams are joined 
separately from those of the lining, the neatest plan is to 
turn the top of skirt and lining in edge to edge, turning in 
only a quarter of an inch (or less), and tacking together ; 
the skirt can then be seamed to the belt, and if the worker 
has been careful to take both stuff and lining on her needle 
at every stitch, the finish will be neat, secure, and flat. 

Where the making of the skirt seams puts this method 
of banding the waist out of the question, it is sometimes 
finished by laying the raw edge of the skirt top outside the 
belt, about a quarter of an inch above the edge, and firmly 
stitching it through ; a length of galloon is then hemmed 
along — one edge to the belt and one edge covering the raw 
edges and the line of sewing, to strengthen and neaten all. 
The galloon must be slightly eased to the belt in the 
hemming, and where it is intended to use this method of 
finishing it is a saving of time and labour to machine the 
galoon to the band before joining the latter to the skirt. 

With double belting, the setiing-on is much the same ; 
the skirt is stitched to the under part of the belt, and the 
upper part then laid down and hemmed through to finish. 
If the upper part could be eased on, as explained for the 
galloon above, this belting would be very useful in dress- 
making ; but being perfectly straight at both edges, it 
simply lifts the skirt up into the waist, shortening the one 
and filling up the other to the quantity of skirt top between 



The Gored Skirt, 149 

the belting. If both the open edges for a quarter of an inch 
up could be woven with a greater length of thread than 
the upper part, to give a little frill (much as crepon stripes 
are woven), it would serve its purpose admirably, the 
straight part holding the waist, and the frilly edge completely 
finishing the skirt top, and yet allowing it to spread away 
below the waist and give the skirt its free and natural 
hang ; but as at present made it is not likely to become a 
standard finishing. 

Cording the waist is a very neat way of finishing for 
those who object to belts. A strip of the material on 

the cross, an inch ^v*-« — ^ ______—- — - 

wide, is prepared, and ^"^^c^-. -r^^ 5 " 

the piping cord laid /7"? !""~\a 

on one edge, which /I 1 \\ 

is turned, and tacked III 1 \ \ 

down over it. The II \ \ 

cording thus prepared / ' | \ 

is then laid to the out- \ 

Side Of the Skirt Waist, Fig. 46.— Cording the Waist. 

with the corded edge 

down (towards the bottom edge), and the broad raw edge 
of the strip upwards, and a line of firm stitching is taken 
through to the inside of the skirt and close down to the 
cording. When this is done the cord is pressed back to 
stand up, and the broad turning of the cross strip turned 
under, and hemmed along to the lining inside the skirt 
top. This plan turns down a quarter of an inch of the 
skirt top, and if the back breadth is pleated raw-edged, 
makes rather too much bulk there. If, however, the material 
and lining have been turned in edge to edge before pleating, 
and firmly overcast together afterwards, the sewing on of the 
cording can be to the extreme top edge, and all undue 
bulk avoided. Large gathers can be quite easily sewn to 
the cording. 

Binding the waist with a cross-strip either of the material 



150 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking. 

or of silk, without cording, would not serve, as it would 
soon stretch, and spoil the fit and hang of the skirt ; a firm 
straight ribbon should be used, if the cord is not liked. 

When the waist is to be bound to leave a narrow binding 
visible, a narrow ribbon (galloon or Paris binding) is laid 
against the outside of the skirt a quarter of an inch below 
the top raw edge, and strongly run and back-stitched or 
machined along quite close to the purl ; the ribbon is 
then turned over the top, and firmly hemmed against the 
line of stitching on the inside. Finished in this way, the 
ribbon shows as a binding or narrow belt above the 
skirt waist. 

Where it is desired to bind the top of the skirt with this 
firm ribbon, yet in such a way that the ribbon shall not 
show as a binding or narrow belt above it, it may be put on 
as explained above, but about three inches of extra length 
should be made into tiny pleats at the front and sides 
to allow it to turn over easily, and lie flat to the waist and 
hips, inside the top of the skirt. The pleats are preferable to 
easing, as they fill up less, but either pleats or easing must 
be used — if the ribbon is put on without some extra fulness 
at the top and then turned quite down and hemmed, it 
will apparently sit well to the skirt until the latter comes 
to be worn, when it will appear very full and drawn- 
looking for some distance below the waist, instead of sitting 
smoothly to the figure. 

Belting can be obtained in various widths and qualities, 
varying from stiff cotton or hemp to rich corded silk; it 
should certainly be firm, but as certainly should not be 
hard, or the wear on the corsets or under-bodice is a 
serious item against it. Prices vary from one penny to 
one shilling per yard. Corded silk is considered the 
strongest. 

Double belting has already been spoken of. Its 
newest development is the steel belt, a double belt with 
a band of soft steel in the upper part fastening with studs 



The Gored Skirt. 151 

and eyes. It is claimed for this invention that it will not 
stretch or slip, and if the steel is soft, and a comfortable 
size chosen, there seems no reason why such belts 
should not prove very useful. Ribbon for binding skirt 
waists should be firm and strong, but very narrow — half 
an inch is wide enough unless it is intended to fold 
and use it double. A wide ribbon would not be different 
from a double belting in any respect, but that of wearing 
out sooner. 

Skirts are now almost invariably supported, being 
fastened to the bodice by one or two hooks and eyes, sewn 
respectively to the skirt back and the bodice belt. The 
eyes should be sewn to the bodice belt half-way up, and 
also half-way between the curved and centre back seams if 
two are used, or across the back seam only if "nautilus" 
hooks and eyes are preferred. Opinions differ as to whether 
the hooks should face the inside or the outside of the skirt. 
There is less risk of showing if they are placed well inside it, 
and sewn on with the hooked or turned part placed as usual 
(as if intended to fasten the skirt to the inner clothing, not 
turned towards the skirt itself) ; and when the eyes are sewn 
on by the two little rings only they will be found quite easy to 
fasten if the skirt top is bound down — not belted. If both 
are belted, the hooks are often sewn to the bodice belt, and 
strong thread loops made on the outside of the skirt belt; but 
buttons inside the bodice belt and button-holes in the skirt belt 
(or long worked loops of strong thread made just outside its 
lower edge) are found to be easier for the wearer to adjust. 

When the dress consists of skirt and banded bodice 
sewn together at the waist, the manner of arranging that 
the front opening of the bodice and tho placket of the skirt 
shall both be available is a very puzzling affair to the in- 
experienced worker. There are, of course, various methods 
of arrangement, but as a general rule the bodice is bound 
up with a firm binding, either shaped or on the cross unless 
it is very narrow (half an inch), and the top of the skirt 



152 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking. 

overcast and turned down a quarter of an inch, after which 
it is arranged to the lower edge of the bodice as if the latter 
were a belt, and the back and the whole of the right side of 
the skirt seamed to it. The left side of the skirt front should 
be bound down separately from the bodice. When in wear, 
the left half of the skirt should be fastened across to the 
back as usual, the upper edge of this part of the skirt being 
attached to the bodice by three small buttons on the 
bodice and three button-holes or strong worked loops of 
thread on the skirt. Hooks and loops, or hooks and eyes, 
may be substituted, but are more likely to come unfastened. 
An outer belt is worn with dresses so arranged. 

Occasionally the bottom edge of the bodice and the top 
edge of the skirt are both left raw- edged, and the two are 
joined with a cording between them, the cording being made 
in a broad cross strip, one edge of which afterwards finishes 
off the bodice and the other the top of the skirt. Where 
the skirt and bodice are separate — i.e., at the left side, from 
the front to the placket opening — the cording is continued 
along the top of the skirt (the portion of bodice being 
plainly bound up with another cross strip). A few small 
hooks could be sewn to the skirt, and loops to correspond 
on the lower edge of the bodice ; and the whole would need 
very careful arrangement, as an outer belt would not be 
worn with a dress finished in this way at the waist. When 
such dresses are in vogue, it is customary to bring the 
placket opening further forward, that as much of the skirt as 
possible may be secured to the bodice ; and with very full 
pleated skirts the opening was always cut under the first 
pleat from the centre of the front towards the left side. 

At from eight to ten inches below the waist the back 
breadth needs some slight restraint to keep it from falling 
to the sides. Sometimes this is arranged by sewing a tape 
to each side seam and tying across. With foundation skirts 
a broad piece of tape is machined along both edges across 
the back breadth, making a slot through which a runner 0/ 



The Gored Skirt. 153 

tape is carried, and tied across to confine the back into 
place. Occasionally the tape is securely stitched to the 
seam at each end of the slot, and drawn up in the middle 
through a hole made in the slot-tape for that purpose, to 
relieve the wearer of the feeling of constraint in walking 
which the tied tapes always give ; and sometimes a length 
of broad (garter) elastic is run in the slot, and tying 
altogether dispensed with. Such slots were also used for 
runners of steel in crinolette days, and both ends must 
be arranged to come exactly the same distance below the 
waist, if the risk of one side of the skirt lifting up and 
appearing short is to be avoided. The slots should be 
hemmed at each end, and then machined on before the 
back is joined to the front, and the ends of the slot 
must not be machined in with the seams if the runner is 
to pass through them. 

With lined skirts the runner and slot cannot be used, 
but after the waist has been fixed to the band by the large 
gathers, as explained, the gathers themselves, at about eight 
to ten inches below the waist, should be set on a length of 
broad elastic or tape from eight to ten inches long, and 
already hemmed at both ends. Elastic is preferable, as, 
being yielding, it is less likely to tear away ; it should 
be put inside the skirt, and the groove of each deep gather 
pinned to it (spreading the gathers apart to make them 
fill the length of the tape, and spacing them nicely) ; each 
gather is then secured by two or three catch stitches, the 
hemmed ends being left free to avoid showing "pull." 

Pleats should be caught down to a tape or elastic in the 
same way, the catch-stitches being taken through the inner 
fold of each pleat only ; and even trained skirts are none 
the worse for such slight restraint, as it tends to confine the 
flow to the centre of the back (where it is most required), 
and so prevents the lower part of the front of the skirt 
being drawn in to the feet by the drag of the train on the 
bottom edge. 



154 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking, 

Foundation Skirt. — The lengths for a foundation skirt 
should be neatly run and felled over by machine (the 
pocket space being left open), the darts machined and 
opened, and each side felled back, or overcast and pressed 
flat. The top should be turned over half an inch (the 
turnings to come to the outside of the skirt) and tacked 
over, the skirt then placed on the table and folded care- 
fully in half from the centre of the front, the top pinned 
together, and the lengths of front, back, and side very 
carefully checked down and the bottom edge shaped as 
already explained, the excess length being cut away, and 
only half an inch all the way round left for turnings. 

An outside facing and an inside hem, both of the 
outside material, should next be prepared, and carefully 
fitted to the bottom edge of the skirt, the outside facing 
being a couple of inches deeper than the hem for the inside 
— the latter is sometimes of the foundation material in 
inferior work. 

The upper edges of both hem and facing should be 
turned over and pressed down ready for hemming, and then 
the two should be adjusted to the skirt edge in the following 
manner. The facing is put on the outside of the skirt 
face up (or as it will be when completed) ; outside this the 
inside hem is placed face down and the muslin stiffening 
(if used) above it — the three (or four) thicknesses are then 
tacked together, and machined through at the lower edge, 
just the half-inch above the bottom edge allowed for in 
checking down the length. The sewing is then pressed, the 
turnings are either left or pared away, and the inside hem, 
turned up on the inside of the skirt, tacked into place and 
machined through, and finally the outside facing machined 
down, hiding the sewing on of the inside hem completely. 

For foundation skirts the bottom braid is generally run 
on the right side and then turned over and hemmed on the 
wrong. 

The back breadths are next gathered or pleated up, and 



The Gored Skirt. 155 

the whole of the waist closely seamed to the belt, the 
pocket, faced and finished, firmly stitched into the seam, 
the inside turnings overcast, and the placket facing run 
on. The skirt is then ready for the overskirt or draperies. 

The skirt is hung on a dress-stand for the better adjust- 
ment of the overskirt, and the pleats from the waist are 
drawn and spread slightly, that the whole back breadth may 
measure from eight to ten inches across at the bottom 
of the placket. The back should be firmly stitched down 
at this width, and again half way between this and the 
waist, the stitches being taken over the edges of each pleat, 
and either through to an elastic or tape as for lined skirts, 
or only to the material itself — it being no serious objection 
in a foundation skirt if stitches show through, as long 
as they are neatly and regularly made. 

The lower parts of the draperies or overskirt should be 
already hemmed, trimmed, and finished as far as practicable 
apart from the foundation. It should then be pinned or 
tacked (raw edged) along the waist of the foundation, just 
below the belt, the raw edge of the drapery placket fixed to 
that of the skirt, and the piece already sewn on brought 
over it and hemmed firmly over. 

The ribbon from the belt is next turned down over the 
raw edges and hemmed firmly through, making all neat and 
secure. Short over-skirts are lifted by the wearer when the 
pocket is to be used, but with long ones, or draperies, it is 
necessary to make the opening through from the outside. If 
there is a seam in the over-skirt or drapery to correspond with 
the one below in which the pocket is set, it saves cutting. 
Otherwise the drapery is carefully pinned to the founda- 
tion all round the pocket mouth, a slit cut, and the edges 
turned under and carefully slip-stitched down. Great care 
is taken that it is not pulled or strained at any part, as that 
would cause the pocket mouth to draw open when the 
skirt is in wear. 

There are generally two loops to a skirt. They are 



156 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking. 

about four inches long, and made of seam binding or 
galloon, and are hemmed in at each end just at the lower 
edge of the belt, along the top of the gore nearest the back 
breadth. They should be easy for the belt, that they may 
not draw it up, and should be very strongly sewn on. 

Bottom braids vary in width and quality ; it is very 
poor economy to choose a cheap one. Those of black 
and fast colours are plunged into boiling water to shrink 
them, as they are apt to shrink on the skirt if they get wet, 
and so draw up the bottom edge, to the great detriment of 
the hang and appearance of the skirt. With colours 
specially matched to the material this heroic treatment 
might not prove safe, and the alternatives are to press the 
braid thoroughly with a hot iron through a wet cloth, or to 
hold it in the steam of a fast-boiling kettle till thoroughly 
saturated with moisture, and then iron dry, always taking 
care to ease the braid on well when running it on, as a 
further security against shrinking. Firm, close, fine braid 
should be chosen ; soft bulky ones rub through very 
quickly. 

The use of cross strips of velveteen for bottom edge 
bindings is a great improvement on the braid, as the 
velveteen both wears and looks better, and it seems likely 
to entirely supplant braid in the public favour. 

Skirt Difficulties. — Should the front fall full between the 
feet, it has been too much gored at the top, or too much 
hollowed there, in proportion to the bottom. The remedy 
would be to take off some of the slope, thus narrowing the 
bottom; or to decrease the hollowing by cutting away a little 
of the stuff all around the waist, except at the hollowed part. 

If it falls in at the feet behind, either the back breadth 
is too scanty or the side seams (where it joins the side gores) 
are too far forward on the figure, or the front of the skirt is 
too narrow in the bottom width. Increasing the width of 
the back breadth, setting in a wider front, or adding two 
small side gores, should remove the defect. 



The Gored Skirt. 157 

Draping across the hips is caused by the skirt not 
being hollowed erough at the top of the front and the 
side-gores. 

Straining across the hips appears if enough has not been 
taken out in darts or hollowing at waist, or if the gores are 
too straight for the figure ; or if the hips-measure used is too 
close, or the skirt is tied back too closely. 

If the skirt is too long, the obvious remedy is to shorten 
it at the bottom edge, which does not affect the fit round 
the hips so much as shortening at the waist, though the 
latter must be resorted to if the bottom edge is much 
trimmed. 

If it is too short, it is best to let down any waist or 
bottom-edge turnings, if possible ; if not, to sink the skirt on 
a shaped band, or set on a false hem, hiding it by a flounce 
or band of trimming. 

Twisting round the knees is often caused by the wearer 
having an under-skirt wider than the dress-skirt itself, but 
is also a fault that may arise from bad joining of the seams 
(see " Seams Running Awry," page 58) or bad cutting-off 
of the lengths at the start. Drapers generally run the arm 
forward at a slant or slight curve when cutting-off lengths of 
material, and a careful worker will measure her lengths down 
from the shortest side of the slant, and fold very carefully for 
the cutting-off ; pinning the selvedge edges together to make 
the fold run to a thread, and finally paring away the little 
surplus piece of slant. If this precaution is neglected, and the 
lengths are measured off down each side of the selvedge from 
the slant, the skirt will be inclined to twist, and also to lift 
at one side, which is most provoking when repeated careful 
measuring fails to detect any difference; between the lengths 
of both sides. The defect is one difficult to remedy, but is 
best dealt with by letting-down, if the fashion in which the 
dress is made will permit it. 

Corpulent figures sometimes take a skirt as long at 
the front as at the back, or longer, and those with large 



158 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking. 

hips may need the length at the sides increased in the same 
way. 

In such cases side and back measures should be taken 
as well as front, and the skirt checked by them from the 
waist down. 

If the front is longer than the back, the figure will be 
prominent below the waist. The front breadth should not 
be hollowed out, but a curved dart, from a half to three- 
quarters of an inch on the double, or from one to one and 
a-half inches across altogether, and five or six inches long, 
should be put in on the fold of the front, which often gives 
the required difference in length without cutting the front 
longer ; or it may be taken up in the lining only, and the 
stuff eased over it, if so preferred. 

One plan of dealing with extra long fronts of this class 
is to cut the front breadth of the skirt a-half or three- 
quarters of an inch longer than the selvedge edge of the side 
gores, hollow the top as usual, and ease the surplus length 
allowed into the seams over a space of about five inches 
below the waist when joining the pieces. This plan gives 
the extra length required without the inclination to drop in 
between the feet, and is worthy of consideration. 

For large flat hips a big dart three inches wide will 
sometimes give the extra length; but with large rounded 
hips this will not serve, and the extra length must be allowed 
in the seams, adding it at the bottom edge. Hips are sel- 
dom so large that the centre back of the skirt cannot be 
left the same length as the side-seams ; but if this should 
happen, the shortening should be made at the top, not at the 
bottom-edge of the back breadth. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

WASH-DRESSES. 

Bodices for Washing — Styles for Wash-dresses — Suitable Linings — 
— Wadding — Cotton for Sewing Preferable to Silk — Facings and Inside 
Bindings — Buttons to be Preferred to Hooks and Eyes — The Belt — 
The Skirt and its Lining — How to Provide for Shrinking — Back 
Gathers and Skirt Belt, etc. 

Dresses that will need washing at intervals must be made 
in such a way that they will come through the ordeals of 
washing, drying, and ironing with as little detriment to their 
wearing qualities and appearance as possible. To attain 
this end several differences, both of method and in the 
choice of inside finishings, must be made as compared 
with ordinary woollen dresses. 

Bodices for washing-dresses should be made in a style 
that will wash and do up easily, and should, if possible, be 
cut a few inches long below the waist to allow for shrinking, 
or to reach several inches below the waist and be belted, 
that the shrinking may not signify. The style should be loose, 
as with blouses, and full, or set in pleats or tucks. Unlined 
blouses are certainly the easiest to wash, but where a lining 
is required it is an advantage to have " ! .t to fasten separately 
from the stuff at front, the latter being folded or drawn across 
to entirely conceal the closing. Plain pointed bodices 
seldom wash satisfactorily, as far as the fitting is con- 
cerned. 

linings with black backs should never be used, nor 



160 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking, 

should they be of a colour likely to run in washing. Grey 
linen should be used for very dark or black prints, and 
calico, white silesia, or sateen for other colours. Calico 
for linings should be soaked over-night in warm water 
to shrink it thoroughly, and then ironed smooth again 
before being cut. Very hard muslin should be washed or 
scalded. 

Wadding should not be used between lining and stuff. 
If the figure requires it, it should be made as a separate 
padding between two pieces of white sarcenet, and tacked 
inside the finished dress ; it can then be easily removed for 
washing. 

The outside material should not be stretched on the 
lining, or only very slightly, to minimise possible shrink- 
ing. All the sewing should be done with cotton; silk 
changes colour in washing, and so is unsuitable for either 
seams or outside work (including the button-holes), and 
should not be used. For the same reason — i.e., that silk 
washes badly — the seams should be overcast, or turned in 
edge to edge and run, in preference to binding (the latter is 
often done, the look of the binding after washing not being 
considered of very great importance in comparison with the 
protection it gives the edges of the turnings) ; all facings and 
inside bindings should be of the outside material instead of 
silk or sarcenet ; and the bone-casings wash better if of fine 
tape (though white seam binding is often employed). The 
bones should only be lightly tacked in, that they may be 
quickly removed and replaced. Any linen or stiffening should 
be white or " light-brown," and collars should be stiffened 
with two or three thicknesses of good, firm check muslin ; 
the sewing is less likely to give if they are made and put 
on by the method given on page 24. 

Hooks and eyes should not be used, as they do not wash 
well, and may show a rust-stain through from the drying. 
Buttons are preferred, but as they are likely to break or press 
a hole in the bodice during the washing process, they should 



Washing-dresses. 161 

be removed each time the dress is washed ; and as constant 
cutting-off and sewing-on weakens the stuff, they are not 
simply sewn on as for woollens, but eyelet-holes should be 
worked for the button-shanks to pass through, and the 
buttons threaded on a tape passed through the shanks 
inside the bodice, and then caught across each hole 
with a few firm stitches to prevent the strain on the button, 
when fastened, bringing the tape through the hole. Flat 
buttons perforated with holes should still be sewn to the 
tape, the stitching going through the eyelet-holes. 

The belt should be white or grey, and fastened with a 
buckle, or a check-string of tape, long enough to tie, used 
instead. Loops should be made of either white ribbon or 
tape, according with the bone-casings. 

Skirts are preferably made without lining at all, and 
when so made the hem should be deep and securely 
machined or hemmed through — never invisibly hemmed — 
and the inside seams should be either French seams or the 
turnings turned in edge to edge and run together, or each 
one separately turned over and neatly hemmed back (upon 
itself, not through the skirt). It is an accepted formula 
in dressmaking to join the seams of a washing-skirt by put- 
ting the edges together with the bias edge a little below the 
selvedge, and running or machining, afterwards turning the 
selvedge down over the raw edge of the bias and hemming it 
through to make the seam neat and secure without too many 
thicknesses of turnings ; but for really good work selvedge 
edges should be cut entirely away unless notched across 
(see page 135), as they draw up in washing. 

The skirt should be lined with a washing lining (of the 
same kind as the bodice by preference), and the linings 
should not be closed in with the seams, on account of 
the danger of -unequal shrinking, but made as a separate 
foundation skirt where it is not possible to dispense with it 
altogether (as in draped skirts, etc.). 

The top should be closely overcast and turned over a 

L 



1 62 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking, 

quarter of an inch before seaming to the belt, if single belting 
is used, but double belting, binding over with tape or ribbon, 
or finishing with a crosswise piping, is neater and more 
secure. Shrinking in the length of the skirt is an awkward 
thing to provide for. If the top is turned over, it is bulky 
below the waist, and the line of stitching weakens the stuff 
and is likely to show if the bodice is short to begin with, or 
if it also has shrunk much. Tucks can only be applied to a 
straight (or ungored) skirt, and are not always liked or in 
fashion, and when let down they show the line of the 
stitching, unless the latter is very lightly put in at the first ; 
letting down the hem can only be done with straight widths, 
and there is the same likelihood of the line of stitching 
showing, and some possible wearing of the bottom edge as 
well, to take into consideration. 

With cottons the shrinking is generally very slight, and 
if the skirt is made amply long at first it is not likely to 
become unwearably short after washing. Light woollens are 
now more frequently dry-cleaned than laundried. 

All the sewing should be fine and firm, and all hems and 
seams thoroughly turned. Raw edges should not be left 
anywhere, if possible, and where unavoidable by reason of 
bulk (as in the sewing-in of the pocket), should be very 
closely overcast. Slip-stitching in any form is quite unsuit- 
able for this class of work, and should never be used in a 
washing dress at all. 

It is wisest to use a rather loose tension in all the 
machining but that of the bodice seams, as the sewing-cotton 
is apt to shrink more than the material itself, and produce a 
slight puckering which cannot be ironed away ; in the bodice 
seams the bones counteract it. 

The back gathers should be set on a tape, as elastic 
does not wash ; and the skirt belt should be white or grey, 
and fastened by buttons and button-holes worked through 
it ; the placket may also close with a button and worked 
cotton loop. Bottom braid of woollen or worsted may be 



Washing-dresses. 163 

used, unless of a bright colour and liable to run, but it should 
be well shrunk before use, and eased on ; it may, however, still 
shrink too much for the skirt, and need renewing. The braid is 
a great protection to the edge of the dress, and saves soiling, 
but is more often used for a servant's plain gown than for a 
lady's summer dress. When used for the latter it should be 
folded double and put inside the skirt, and quite under the 
edge, that it may not be visible from outside. 

Dresses of washing silk are finished in much the same 
manner as those of cotton. Lacing is, however, a favourite 
fastening. The eyelet-holes are generally worked with 
cotton, but flat thread or washing silk (of the kind used 
for embroidery) may be used. The seams should be 
made with cotton in any case. 



CHAPTER IX. 

DRESS MATERIALS. 

The Making of Woollen Fabrics, Cotton, Linen, Silk, Mohair, and Alpaca 
— Their Different Qualities — Weaving — Practical Advantages of a 
Knowledge of Materials — Silks : Twilled, Corded, Patterned, Pile, 
and Washing, and Mixed Fabrics — Woollens — Cottons — Linen. 

The subject of identification of dress material is one of 
so wide a range that it is impossible to do much more than 
indicate its extent within the limits of an elementary work 
like the present. 

Admitting that the worker has a thorough and complete 
knowledge of all the best methods of manipulating those 
materials with which she has become acquainted in the 
course of her daily experiences, it is still desirable that she 
should increase her knowledge of those materials with which 
she is less familiar, mastering such details of their nature 
and general qualities as may prove useful to her by bearing 
more particularly upon her work. 

For instance, the dressmaker who is not very sure 
whether foulard is a double-width woollen or a single-width 
silk is hardly prepared to calculate the quantity of foulard 
required for a dress, or to suggest a style in which it should 
be made, if required to do so at the moment ; and some 
knowledge of the nature of the fabric on which she is 
working may prevent her scorching and glazing silk by using 
too hot an iron or bringing moisture in contact with it, or 
hint to her how to remedy a misfit in woollen stuffs by 
shrinking away excess of size. 

It is a matter of common knowledge that woollen fabrics 



Dress Materials. 165 

are made from the fleece of sheep, which, after being sub- 
jected to various processes of cleansing, combing, etc., is 
spun into yarn of two kinds — wool and worsted. It is also 
well known that cotton is a downy substance collected from 
the pod of the cotton plant, where it surrounds the ripened 
seed, and that neither cotton nor wool is a long filament in 
itself, but needs a large amount of preliminary prepara- 
tion before it can be spun into a smooth, strong thread, 
which is therefore generally round and well-twisted. Linen 
is made from the stem fibres of the flax-plant, and silk is 
the long filaments into which the cocoon of the silkworm 
unwinds, whilst mohair is the hair of the ordinary goat, and 
alpaca that of a small animal, sometimes called sheep, 
sometimes goat, and sometimes camel. These are the 
staple fibres used inmaking dress materials. 

Each of these fibres has its own distinguishing cha- 
racteristics and special qualities, which are good or bad 
according to the use to which each is put. Vegetable 
fibres (flax and cotton) are cool and heavy ; animal 
fibres (silk, wool, and hair) are warm and light ; therefore 
thin cotton stuffs make suitable summer dresses when the 
thinnest woollens feel heating, whilst thin or moderately 
thick woollen ones serve admirably for winter wear when 
a cotton dress of equal thickness would be cold and 
heavy to carry. Linen is firmer, cooler, heavier, and more 
expensive than cotton, but its hygienic and domestic cha- 
racteristics are much the same. The coolness and good 
washing qualities of vegetable fibre make it particularly suit- 
able for wear by those occupied in heating and soiling work, 
or in a damp or warm atmosphere, and it is so used by the 
large majority of our working men and women. Its cheap- 
ness and durability are also advantages that must not be 
overlooked. 

Wool does not crush or soil easily, repels dirt, which can 
be brushed from it, absorbs perspiration without becoming 
damp and chill, dyes well and wears well, retaining its 



1 66 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking. 

surface and freshness of appearance for a long time if 
carefully worn. But it does not wash well, and shrinks 
considerably if brought in contact with heat and moisture ; 
it is therefore quite unsuitable for wear at soiling or heating 
work, though much better adapted than cotton for wear 
during the ordinary pursuits of every-day life. 

It is evident that fibres differing so entirely in their essen- 
tial qualities will not combine well ; thus cotton is heavy, 
crushes easily, does not take the darker dyes so well as wool, 
and soon wears shabby and loses its freshness of surface and 
colour. If it is mixed with wool it imparts these character- 
istics to the fabric made from the mixture, to the degree of 
the quantity of cotton used, and is in that sense decidedly 
an adulterant, though cotton fabrics which do not pretend 
to be anything else are amongst our most durable and useful 
dress materials. 

Silk, in addition to its beauty, has all the good qualities 
of the other fibres combined ; it is lighter and less heating, 
though as warm as wool, and dyes and wears well, and in 
some of its varieties washes as well as cotton while still re- 
taining its own peculiar softness and brightness. The 
admixture of wool increases its bulk without detracting from 
its good wearing qualities, as in the manufacture of poplin, 
bengaline, etc. Hair is more brittle and springy than wool, 
and is more difficult to work into cloth ; it is generally com- 
bined with one or other of the foregoing fibres, and gives a 
bright, springy fabric liable to splitting, and which is usually 
difficult to manipulate into satisfactory bodices. Goods of 
the kind — mohair, lustre, alpaca — are favoured when large 
sleeves and wide flowing skirts are the prevailing styles, but 
drop out of request as soon as close-fitting bodices and 
draperies rule the fashion. 

There are many varieties of each fibre, and many different 
ways of preparing each one for manufacture into material. 
The differences may be in the preparatory processes, in the 
spinning, the weaving, or in any of the after-processes of 



Dress Materials. 167 

finishing, and one or another will give its distinguishing name 
to the finished fabric. Thus, Botany wool is a peculiarly 
soft, fine wool ; Cheviot is a firm, short, springy one : there- 
fore Botany beige and Botany serge are goods made from 
Botany wool, and combining its soft fineness with their other 
distinctive qualities, whilst Cheviot serge, Cheviot tweed, 
Cheviot beige, may be expected to retain their own special 
points of twill, etc., and yet be rough, springy, and 
inclined to fray easily, by reason of being manufactured 
from that particular class of wool. 

Coming to the weaving, any woman who understands 
how to darn has a very general idea of the process of 
weaving in miniature. For darning she first fills the hole 
with long threads and then weaves another thread across 
them, passing it over and under the first set of threads 
alternately until the latter are quite covered, when the hole 
is filled with what is practically a piece of material woven 
by hand, which may be compared with basket or mat- 
making, but which certainly embodies in itself the primary 
processes of weaving. 

In a very different way, but on the same principle, long 
threads are wound on a roller which is placed at the back of 
a loom, and the threads are brought forward, passing through 
the healds and reed to regulate them and keep them apart, 
and are finally wound at the front on another roller which 
draws the woven cloth down. These are the warp threads, 
which run the selvedge way of the manufactured material, 
and which, in our comparison of weaving and darning, 
represent the long threads with which the hole is first 
filled. 

The weft thread is wound on a bobbin which is encased 
in a shuttle ; and whereas in darning the worker passes her 
needle alternately over and under the foundation threads of 
the darn, the weaver attaches the weft thread coming from 
the shuttle to the warp, and the process of weaving on 
a large scale is carried on by mechanical action of the 



1 68 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking. 

loom and its attachments. A number of the healds lift 
up the warp threads already passed through them, and 
mechanical arms — one at each side of the loom — cast the 
shuttle backwards and forwards over those warp threads 
which are not lifted, the healds raising and depressing them 
alternately between each passage of the shuttle according to 
the pattern to be woven, so that the weft is constantly being 
passed over and under the different threads, but all, of course, 
in the perfect order and rotation necessary to the production 
of the pattern. 

It may be asked how far this primary knowledge may 
help the dressmaker in her every-day work : it will at least 
help her to treat intelligently the material upon which she 
works. If she knows that the long, straight warp threads 
that run the selvedge way are the strongest, she will cut her 
material in such a way that these threads bear the strain 
where it has to be borne, and she will also be able to distin- 
guish the way of the threads on any small portion of material, 
even if it happens to be without the selvedge. By unravel- 
ling a little she will find smooth, strong threads that easily 
draw out running one way of the piece, and soft, curling 
waved threads that have acquired a decided crinkle from 
being twined and twisted over and under the warp, running 
the other way ; she will know that this is the weft way of 
the material, which will not bear weight or strain to the same 
degree as the warp, as weight would draw the threads down 
straight and cause the skirt, in dressmaker's parlance, to 
"drop." 

Carrying on the comparison between darning and 
weaving : the needlewoman knows how in a simple darn — 
worked, say, by the rule of take one, leave one — the fabric 
is comparatively open, nor is it possible to make it very close 
even by constant pressing together of the filling-up threads, 
whilst the use of thicker threads only results in a clumsy 
darn ; but if she works the rule of, say, take three, miss one 
for the first row, and in the beginning of each succeeding 



Dress Materials 169 

row moves the pattern on by one stitch or thread, the hole 
when filled will present the appearance of a diagonal twill 
or lines of stitches running in a slanting direction from 
corner to corner, and the woven fabric thus formed will be 
closer and firmer than the plain darn, even if it is worked 
in a finer thread. 

The same holds good in weaving. Twilled materials can 
be made closer and firmer, in proportion to the weight of 
yarn used in their production, than plain ones, and will wear 
and resist friction better. This seems to be so generally 
accepted that we have very few plain standard fabrics in 
woollen or worsted ; the majority are twilled, even if the 
twill is so fine that it does not show unless it is looked 
for. 

Reference to worsted and woollen brings us to the great 
division which is made in woollen stuffs by the kind of yarn 
from which they are woven. To understand this we must 
bear in mind the nature of the fibre from which the yarn is 
spun. Both wool and worsted are made from the wool of 
the ordinary sheep. Each hair or filament of the fleece is 
formed of layers of minute scales, overlapping each other 
and smoothing downwards from the root towards the tip. 
These scales possess to a high degree the quality of inter- 
locking (or tangling) with each other, which is much helped 
by friction and pressure, and this quality is turned to account 
in the production of woollen yarn, for which the shorter 
fibres are used. For this, and from first to last, in every 
process, the fibres are allowed to lie roughly, to fall across 
each other and tangle and twist and intertwine, the result 
being a rough yarn admirably suited for the production 
of a cloth which is to be rendered still firmer by milling or 
fulling. For worsted, on the contrary, all the wool is kept 
straight, and as far as possible, smoothed the one way ; the 
longest wool is chosen, and all the processes through which 
it passes aim at this one end — to keep it straight and 
smooth. The yarn spun from this has, consequently, none 



170 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking. 

of the " milling " qualities of wool, but is smooth, straight, 
and firm, and when well twisted is capable of producing a 
fabric with very different characteristics from those of 
ordinary cloth. 

The surface is smooth, the twill clear and well-defined, 
and anyone who has worn serge can attest its durability. 
Most dress materials are worsted, and the difference in the 
yarn is one of the leading points by which to distinguish 
between the different fabrics, as those of woollen yarn are 
generally milled or fulled after weaving to close them up, 
and the twill in a fabric that has been milled is rendered 
indistinct by the process, and seems sunk below the 
surface. Those fabrics which are called " cloth " — as habit 
cloth, amazon cloth, etc. — are milled woollens, and can be 
distinguished by this, and by the solidity imparted to them 
by the subsequent process of pressing. 

SILKS. 

The thick, lustrous, plain reversible dress silk, alike on both 
sides and as thick and firm as a fine muslin, is too well known 
to need description. 

Glace Silk is a thin, papery, rustling silk, now almost 
exclusively used for skirt linings and bodice finishings. 

Chene 1 Silk. — Glac6 silk with a soft, "clouded" design 
upon it, the design printed on the warp before the weft 
is put in. 

TWILLED SILKS. 

Surah Silk. — A soft, bright, thin silk, twilled on both 
sides. It is frequently shot — i.e., woven with warp of one 
colour and weft of another — and it curls up when cut, a pecu- 
liarity of twilled silks. 

Satin Merveilleux. — A soft, twilled satin, resembling 
thick, rich surah, but with a brighter face and duller back. It 
also curls up when cut. 

CORDED SILKS. 

Gros Grain.— A firm, rather dull silk, showing a flat cord 
across from selvedge to selvedge. 



I)ress Materials. 171 

Faille Franqaise. — Similar to gros grain, but softer and 
brighter. 

Corded Silk. — Similar in substance and brightness to 
igros grain, with a rounder cord, varying from very fine to very 
coarse in thickness. 

Japanese Silk. — Hard and springy, very liable to tear 
and split ; is often confused with silk alpaca (which it much 
resembles) by the slightly informed. 

Moire Antique and Watered Silk. — The brilliancy of 
silk can be very much enhanced by the combined application 
of heat, moisture, and pressure, and advantage has been taken 
of this quality to produce one of the most attractive of our rich 
fabrics. The silk is moistened and then subjected to treatment 
by hot pressure, by which a bright, waving pattern is burnished 
upon it in glistening lines and waves. In moir/ antique the 
pattern resembles a thin, narrow stream of bright water, 
running irregularly over the surface. In the more modern 
watered silk the pattern is in stripes about three or four 
inches wide, and is in waves, as if the waterhad been pushed 
up the length of the stripe with the half-opened hand. Both 
watered silk and moire antique are watered on gros grain silk. 
Satin is also occasionally watered, and moire faille (watered 
faille franqaise), together with striped, shot, shaded, and 
marbled varieties, mark the return of watered silks into 
fashion in 1894. 

Ondine Silk. — Shows a thick cord with small honeycomb 
pattern or stripes of soft, puffed, crape-like silk between, and 
may be described as a kind of corded silk crepon. 

Ottoman. A thick silk, more frequently used for mantles 
than dresses. The name "Ottoman" refers to the pattern 
of the cord, which consists of one thick, bright cord and 
two or three thin cords between, and the name is also applied 
to woollens woven in this design. 

Sarcenet. — A thin, open silk, stiffened and highly lustred 
by hot pressure. (See "Watered Silks,"page 171.) Exclusively 
used for linings and inside finishings. 

Satin. — The distinguishing point of satin is its glossy, 
lustrous face. This is obtained in the weaving, four-fifths of 
the warp or weft being brought to the surface (the weave 
resembling a darn of take one, miss four). Every needle- 



172 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking. 

woman knows the beautifully-smooth satin stitch used in em- 
broidery: the satin weave is an application of the same 
principle to weaving. Inferior satins with cotton back and silk 
face are of course to be obtained, the method of weaving being 
applied to cotton and wool as well as to silk. Cotton satins 
are called sateens ; woollen satins are called satin cloths 
(sometimes satinette and satinlaine) ; satin merveilUux is, as 
we have said, a soft twilled satin. Satin is occasionally 
watered, when it would, of course, be called watered satin. 
Peau de soie is a rather dull sateen-finished silk. 



PATTERNED SILKS. 

Brocade. — Resembles damask in showing a large, hand- 
some pattern on a satin ground, but is not double all through, 
though the figures are woven with an extra thread. It can be 
distinguished by the threads at the back of the design, which 
in damask are equal in length, in brocade longer and more 
irregular. 

Broche 1 . — Resembles brocade, though the patterns are 
generally smaller and less effective, and are only embossed on 
the surface, not carried through. Broche is a less expensive 
copy of brocade. 

PILE FABRICS. 

Plush. — A rich silk fabric, with a full pile or shag on the 
face, and dull, plain back. Pile is formed by loops, which 
are thrown upwards above the surface in the weaving and 
afterwards cut. 

Silk Velvet. — Similar to plush, but with a shorter, closer, 
more upright pile. Patent velvet. — A copy of velvet, with the 
pile made of silk and the back, or foundation threads on which 
it is raised, of cotton. Terry velvet is a variety of velvet with 
the loops left regular, but uncut. Frise velvet is uncut velvet, 
but with the loops laid irregularly, showing a surface of soft 
curl. Shot velvet shows a pile raised from a ground of contrast- 
ing colour. There is infinite variety of corded, striped, and 
patterned velvets, amongst which may be named corduroy 
velvet, brocaded velvet, shaded velvet, etc. In velvet brocade 
the pattern is raised from a satin or gauze ground. Stamped 
velvet or plush explains itself. Miroir velvet. — Very close pile, 
high lustre ; almost as bright and smooth as a man's silk hat. 



Dress Materials. 173 

Velveteen (See " Silk Velvet.") — A copy of velvet in 
cotton, but so beautifully dyed and finished as to take rank as 
a standard material for better wear. It is soft, and lacks the 
crisp, firm feeling by which silk velvet can be distinguished 
from imitations. 

MIXED FABRICS. 

Irish Poplin. — Silk warp and worsted weft, showing a 
full, smooth, round cord across from selvedge to selvedge. 

Bengaline. — Closely resembles poplin, but has a flatter, 
finer cord, composed of two or more threads instead of one. 

washing silks. 

Foulard. — Manufactured twilled soft washing silk, printed 
in coloured designs. 'A large quantity of Chinese and Indian 
soft washing silks are used for summer dresses. Tussore is a 
well-known variety of the Indian raw washing silk. It is a 
" whitey-brown " in colour, rather dull in surface, and has a 
slightly rough grainy feeling, not unlike the feeling of serge. 
This is the characteristic mark of the soft Indian silks by 
which they may be distinguished from the soft Chinese silks, 
which are smooth to the touch and glossy in surface. Printed 
and embroidered Tussores are both in use. Printed Pongees are 
not unlike foulard, but may be distinguished by the absence 
of twill and the slightly streaky, shiny look on the surface 
(as if it has been ironed across unequally), which is a distinc- 
tive mark of Pongee silk. 

transparent fabrics. 

Gauze. — A thin, open fabric of silk or cotton, the holes in 
which are made by the threads being twisted round each other 
differing in this respect from canvas, in which the crossing- 
threads are simply overlapped, and can be moved or pushed 
apart. In Net the holes are made by knotting. Crape is a 
very open gauze made from yarn which has been damped 
and much twisted before weaving. Crepe-de-Chine is soft 
silk crape. 

Grenadine. — A rather thick silk gauze, generally with a 
solid design or pattern upon it, but sometimes plain; also 
combined in stripes with other weaves, as satin, velvet, 
moire, etc. 



172 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking. 

woman knows the beautifully-smooth satin stitch used in em- 
broidery: the satin weave is an application of the same 
principle to weaving. Inferior satins with cotton back and silk 
face are of course to be obtained, the method of weaving being 
applied to cotton and wool as well as to silk. Cotton satins 
are called sateens ; woollen satins are called satin cloths 
(sometimes satinette and satinlaine) ; satin merveilleux is, as 
we have said, a soft twilled satin. Satin is occasionally 
watered, when it would, of course, be called watered satin. 
Peau de sole is a rather dull sateen-finished silk. 



PATTERNED SILKS. 

Brocade. — Resembles damask in showing a large, hand- 
some pattern on a satin ground, but is not double all through, 
though the figures are woven with an extra thread. It can be 
distinguished by the threads at the back of the design, which 
in damask are equal in length, in brocade longer and more 
irregular. 

Broche". — Resembles brocade, though the patterns are 
generally smaller and less effective, and are only embossed on 
the surface, not carried through. Broche is a less expensive 
copy of brocade. 

PILE FABRICS. 

Plush. — A rich silk fabric, with a full pile or shag on the 
face, and dull, plain back. Pile is formed by loops, which 
are thrown upwards above the surface in the weaving and 
afterwards cut. 

Silk Velvet. — Similar to plush, but with a shorter, closer, 
more upright pile. Patent velvet. — A copy of velvet, with the 
pile made of silk and the back, or foundation threads on which 
it is raised, of cotton. Terry velvet is a variety of velvet with 
the loops left regular, but uncut. Frise velvet is uncut velvet, 
but with the loops laid irregularly, showing a surface of soft 
curl. Shot velvet shows a pile raised from a ground of contrast- 
ing colour. There is infinite variety of corded, striped, and 
patterned velvets, amongst which may be named corduroy 
velvet, brocaded velvet, shaded velvet, etc. In velvet brocade 
the pattern is raised from a satin or gauze ground. Stamped 
velvet or plush explains itself. Mirotr velvet. — Very close pile, 
high lustre ; almost as bright and smooth as a man's silk hat. 



Dress Materials. 173 

Velveteen (See " Silk Velvet.") — A copy of velvet in 
cotton, but so beautifully dyed and finished as to take rank as 
a standard material for better wear. It is soft, and lacks the 
crisp, firm feeling by which silk velvet can be distinguished 
from imitations* 

MIXED FABRICS. 

Irish Poplin. — Silk warp and worsted weft, showing a 
full, smooth, round cord across from selvedge to selvedge. 

Bengaline. — Closely resembles poplin, but has a flatter, 
finer cord, composed of two or more threads instead of one. 

washing silks. 

Foulard. — Manufactured twilled soft washing silk, printed 
in coloured designs. "A large quantity of Chinese and Indian 
soft washing silks are used for summer dresses. Tussore is a 
well-known variety of the Indian raw washing silk. It is a 
" whitey-brown " in colour, rather dull in surface, and has a 
slightly rough grainy feeling, not unlike the feeling of serge. 
This is the characteristic mark of the soft Indian silks by 
which they may be distinguished from the soft Chinese silks, 
which are smooth to the touch and glossy in surface. Printed 
and embroidered Tussores are both in use. Printed Pongees are 
not unlike foulard, but may be distinguished by the absence 
of twill and the slightly streaky, shiny look on the surface 
(as if it has been ironed across unequally), which is a distinc- 
tive mark of Pongee silk. 

TRANSPARENT FABRICS. 

Gauze. — A thin, open fabric of silk or cotton, the holes in 
which are made by the threads being twisted round each other 
differing in this respect from canvas, in which the crossing- 
threads are simply overlapped, and can be moved or pushed 
apart. In Net the holes are made by knotting. Crape is a 
very open gauze made from yarn which has been damped 
and much twisted before weaving. Crepe-de-Chine is soft 
silk crape. 

Grenadine. — A rather thick silk gauze, generally with a 
solid design or pattern upon it, but sometimes plain; also 
combined in stripes with other weaves, as satin, velvet, 
moire, etc. 



176 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking. 

Flannel. — A well-known soft, plain woollen, mostly used 
for underclothing, twilled in the finer qualities. A close, firm 
twilled flannel (practically French twill) is often used for tennis 
or boating-dresses. 

Foule. — Fulling is a process in woollen manufacture in 
which the woven cloth is treated with soap and water and 
beaten with heavy mallets to shrink and compact it, fabrics so 
treated being rendered closer and firmer. Foule is a thin, 
soft cloth, velvety to the touch, and with a soft closeness given 
to it by this process of fulling from which it derives its distin- 
guishing name. Foule beige, foule serge, foule cashmere, 
would therefore be materials which, in addition to their own 
distinctive peculiarities, have undergone the process of 
fulling. 

Grenadine (Woollen). — Woollen copy of silk grenadine. 

Hopsack. — Coarse closely woven woollen canvas (see 
*' Canvas "). 

Linsey. — A stout, serviceable fabric, made of inferior flax 
and wool ; hard and firm, and as durable as it is dingy. 
It sells at about sixpence per yard single-width, and is now 
very little used excepting by the poorer classes, though at one 
time the better qualities took the rank now accorded to serge 
and tweeds. 

Llama Cloth. — A light fabric from llama wool, resem- 
bling a plain delaine or nuns' veiling, but rather heavier than 
either, and without the " pearly " look of the latter. 

Lustre. — (See " Alpaca " and " Mohair"). 

Merino. — Medium weight soft worsted, slightly thicker 
than cashmere, which it resembles in surface. Twilled on 
both sides, and has a soft, pulpy feeling by which it can be 
distinguished from other materials of similar appearance, as 
Indian serge, Indian cashmere, etc. 

Mohair. — Material made from goats' hair, worked with 
silk, wool, worsted, or cotton warp. In the better qualities 
(combined with silk) it is silky and lustrous ; the commoner 
makes have a slightly water-waved, shiny appearance, and 
are very much like coarse alpaca. Lustre is a variety of 
mohair, and at one time lustres of every class — alpaca lustre, 
silk lustre, etc. — were all in vogue ; they are still occasionally 
used. They all have the bright, smooth, shining look of 



Dress Materials, 177 

hair, are springy and supple, and do not soil easily; and 
they would be called silk lustre, cotton lustre, alpaca lustre, 
etc., according to the other fibre combined with the mohair 
in their production, which is always of a different colour, or 
lighter or darker shade. These (like alpaca,) are now only 
made in inferior qualities, chiefly for skirt linings and founda- 
tions. Goods of the class may always be expected to return 
into fashion when wide skirts are worn. 

Nuns' Veiling. — A thin, fine, plain, soft woollen, rather 
open in texture, and with a pearly look, as if the yarn from 
which it is woven had been wetted and rough-dried before the 
weaving. 

Ottoman Cloth. — (See " Silk.") 

Paramatta. — Material closely resembling cashmere, but 
harder in touch and appearance. 

Rep. — Generally a mixture of silk and wool, with a 
flat-looking cord running across from selvedge to selvedge 
(sometimes only wool). The varieties are too numerous to 
detail. 

Satin Cloth (Woollen satin). — Woollen material woven 
and finished by hot pressure to show a smooth, lustrous face 
like satin. 

Serge. — This popular fabric is a rather harsh, rough, 
springy, worsted material, nearly always alike on both sides. 
It has a "grainy" appearance and touch in the perfectly 
reversible fine-twilled makes, and is made in a wide range of 
weights and qualities. The thinner and finer kind, called 
summer serge, closely resembles a firm foule. There is 
medium weight with a distinct twill and smooth surface 
and plain back, usually called worsted suiting or worsted 
coating, whilst the loosely woven diagonal serges made 
from Cheviot wool might almost be considered another 
material altogether. Sea-water is used in the various 
manufacturing processes of navy serges, so that the dye 
may stand the action of air and water. Indian serge is a 
particularly fine make, with a smooth, even twill on both 
sides and well-finished surface ; it can hardly be distinguished 
from merino or goods of that class except by its dull finish. 

Shoddy (Re-manufactured woollen cloth). — Worn-out 
woollen rags torn into minute shreds and respun the 



178 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking. 

material made from this yarn cannot boast much elasticity 
or durability, and the dyes are generally poor in tone and 
have a dark purplish cast or tinge, whatever the colour. 
The price is low. Melton cloth, fifty-two inches wide at one 
shilling per 3'ard, comes under this head. 

Taffeta. — The name of a weave, usually spoken of only 
as a silk, but it is also exquisite in work of all colours. 

Tweed. — There are many varieties of tweed and homespun, 
which are always the production of a certain district, and 
represent the manner in which the inhabitants of that special 
district have from time immemorial been in the habit of 
turning the wool of each year's shearing into rough cloth for 
their own use. The name " homespun " is given to the rough 
fabric woven from yarn spun at home, which in the ordinary 
course of things would be made from the natural unbleached, 
undyed wool. The season's shearing, mixed without any 
regard to quality, colour, or texture, would be of every shade 
and variety of tone, and would naturally give to this yarn a 
mingled look, which it, in its turn, would impart to the fabric 
woven from it. The manufactured homespun yarn is spun and 
twisted in such a way that it comes out irregular and uneven 
from both processes, and the weaving is open and the finish as 
primitive as that of a home-made cloth would naturally be. 
Tweed and homespun are almost identical in appearance, 
both being either twilled or plain; and tweed, like the 
homespun, is made from a rough yarn of mingled tones, in 
which occasionally fine, bright-coloured threads are twisted. 
The yarn is harder-twisted, giving a more distinct twill, and 
it is generally more compact, less rough, and better finished in 
appearance. Both are made in wide single (28 to 30) and 
wide double (52 upwards) widths, but are also to be obtained 
in ordinary dress-material widths in the lighter makes. 

Twill (French). — Resembles fine twilled flannel which has 
been dyed dress colours, and milled and pressed to make it 
feel more compact than flannel. 

Vicuna.— (See " Cloth.") 

Vigogne. — Cloth-like fabric, but softer, with a deep dis- 
tinct twill and a downy feel resembling that of flannelette, the 
soft feel presumably given to it by a mixture of cotton with 



Dress Materials. 179 

vicuna wool. Sometimes has long hairs upon it, like camels' 
hair cloth — the latter, however, does not show the deep 
twill. 

Winsey. — Made from cotton and wool, and may be 
described as the Scotch counterpart of linsey, though perhaps 
a trifle softer in appearance and texture. It has the same 
general qualities of wear and appearance and lowness of 
price. Some very beautiful fabrics of this class are now 
made, closely resembling a very fine serge, but they have 
hardly yet come into general use. 

Whip-Cord (See " Serge.") — A variety of the worsted 
coating, the twill a smooth, well-raised cord, which always 
slants either more or less across the fabric than a true 
diagonal. 

Woollen Canvas. — Properly, a coarsely-woven, plain 
fabric of hemp, copied in wool for a dress material (occasion- 
ally with fancy designs upon it) . The cross-threads of a canvas 
can always be pushed apart. 

COTTONS. 

Batiste. — Closely resembling lawn, but with a more wiry 
finish. 

Cambric. — An imitation in cotton of linen cambric, generally 
spotted or printed with a small set design. 

Chambray. — A thick, strong, coarse zephyr. 

Cotton Crape > — (See " Transparent Fabrics " and 

Cotton Crepon y " Woollens.") 

Delainette (Cotton Delaine).— Cotton copy of mousse- 
line-de-laine, having all its characteristics of dull surface, floral 
designs, etc. 

Dimity. — Two varieties are used in dressmaking, generally 
for children's frocks. One has a fine raised hair-cord running 
with the selvedge upon it, and generally resembles a thin, 
soft pique ; the other has a raised diamond pattern or quilting. 
The latter is thicker and firmer. There are floral dimities, but 
they are only used for upholstery. 

Drill. — A very thick, hard, twilled cotton, dull face. 

Flannelette. — Cotton fabric woven and finished to 
imitate flannel. It is more easily crushed by pressure, and 
can be distinguished by its weight and thicker (downier) feel, 
m 2 



180 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking, 

Galatea (Ticking). — A strong, firm, striped cotton, gener- 
ally blue-and- white stripe, woven in imitation of linen. 

Gingham. — A firm, stout cotton, the yarn dyed before 
weaving, so that both sides are alike. It is smooth and close, 
and generally woven in checks or plaids which are the samel 
size down as across, by reason of the warp and weft being of j 
equal thicknesses. It will wash and wear well; is sometimes 
twilled in heavy makes. 

Jean. — A very thick, firm, twilled sateen. Jeannette is a 
thinner, finer, lighter make of jean. 

Lawn. — A copy of linen lawn, close, fine, and soft-finished. 
It is generally used for the bodices and plain parts of em- 
broidered robes. 

Muslin. — A fine, thin cotton fabric, the threads (both 
warp and weft) being extremely fine and the weave always 
plain. Indian muslin is soft, thin, opaque and silky. Mull 
muslin is similar to Indian, fine and soft, but not silky. Swiss' 
muslin has a hard finish, and is clear, or nearly transparent.! 
Book muslin in finish and transparency resembles Swiss, but! 
is less fine and more uneven in make. Lmo muslin is exceed-! 
ingly open and stiff. Victoria lawn, which is used for inside! 
finishing for both bodice and skirt bottom edges, is a variety 
of book muslin. Madras muslin has a transparent ground and 
a pattern apparently darned upon it in thick, soft thread, 
quite different from the yarn used in weaving it. Organdi 
muslin is a soft, opaque, muslin, with a raised spot worked in 
afterwards with a different-coloured thicker thread. Some 
varieties of muslin — notably Madras — are tinted, but they are 
usually made in white only. Of course, in a fabric so popular 
as muslin, there must be a great variety. It is made in stripes, 
checks, and cords, and with the fine fabric of the muslin alter- 
nated with stripes of more open design, gauze, canvas, etc. 

Pique\ — A firm cotton fabric with a distinct raised rib 
running across from selvedge to selvedge; generally used 
in white only. 

Print. — A well-known standard cotton fabric, with the 
colour printed or laid on the face only, not dyed through. 
Plain prints are seldom made ; more usually a complicated 
design is laid on the face as well as the ground colour, making 
the matching a terror to the dressmaker. Print is generally 



Dress Materials. 181 

of the substance and hardness of ordinary calico, this being > 
in fact, the foundation on which the colours are laid. 

Sateen may be described as the satin of cotton goods. It 
has a bright glossy face and dull back, and is soft, thin, and 
pliable to the touch. It is sometimes printed in floral designs, 
but a printed sateen may be distinguished from print by the 
back, as the ground colour is dyed through, not simply laid 
on the face as in the latter. Sateen is both plain and twilled. 

Velveteen. — (See page 173.) 

Zephyr. — A lighter and finer make of gingham, thin, silky, 
and pliable, generally woven from coloured warp and a finer 
weft, which is either white or lighter in colour than the warp, 
and so gives a slightly streaky or shot appearance to the plain 
(or unpatterned) zephyr. Zephyr checks or plaids are never 
perfectly square, owing to the finer weft. 

LINEN. 

Cambric and Lawn. — Beautifully thin, close, linen fabrics, 
woven from very fine yarn, the lawn having a softer finish 
than the cambric, which is the fine linen generally used for 
pocket-handkerchiefs. These are very seldom used in dress- 
making, the cotton fabric of the same class being preferred. 
Holland is perhaps the linen fabric most used for dresses ; it 
has all the distinctive qualities of linen, being cool, thin, and 
flat in the thread. It is generally used in a pale drab or 
whitey-brown shade, but linens of other colours are slowly 
establishing themselves in popular favour for summer dresses. 
Silesia should, strictly speaking, be a soft, thin, open, twilled 
linen ; but it is now so universally made from cotton that the 
latter is accepted as its proper basis. 



CHAPTER X. 



QUANTITY, COST, AND PRICE. 



Average Width of Materials — How to Judge Quantities— Different Modes 
of Planning Out — Average Quantities for Bodice, Sleeves, Skirt, 
Collars, &c. — Calculations of Cost— Slow and Quick Workers — No 
Fixed Standard of Charges — Average Prices for Different Kinds of 
Dresses — Average Prices of Dress Materials — Inside Finishings for 
Bodice and Skirt. 



Silk 

Velvet 

Plush 

Poplins and Bengalines 



Velveteen 

Cottons 

Prints 

Ginghams 

Sateens 

Muslins 

Single - width Woollens 
(beige, delaine, etc.) 

Double-width Woollens 

Cloth, Tweeds, etc. (man- 
tle cloth width) ... 

Imperial Waterproofing 
(for skirts of bicycling, 
boating or climbing 
dresses) 



Average Width of Materials. 

1 8 to 22 inches wide; occa- 
sionally from 24 inches up- 
wards in the more expensive 
qualities. Raw silk averages 
27 to 36 inches wide. 

24 to 27 inches wide. 



27 to 32 11 >, 

24 to 32 „ „ 
32 to 36 „ „ 
24 to 27 to 30 inches wide 

upwards. 
42 to 46 inches wide upwards. 

52 to 56 inches wide. 



60 to 62 



It is usual to find thin or transparent fabrics wider 
than heavier goods made of the same fibre : thus cotton 



Quantity, Cost, and Price, 183 

muslin is generally wider than print, delaine than beige, and 
diaphanous silk fabrics (as chiffon) than velvet. 

Any method of calculating quantity must, if it is to be of 
practical value, take changes of fashion into account ; yet 
any one who has followed these changes round will have 
noted how little the total quantity of material required for 
the complete dress varies, standing as it does at from six 
to seven yards of double-width material forty-four inches 
wide, or twice that quantity of single-width if narrow, or a 
yard less, perhaps, if the single-width material is wider than 
half the double-width, as is generally the case. 

There are styles and materials where careful planning 
and close cutting will considerably reduce this allowance, as 
there are others that exceed it : gored skirts of reversible 
materials, such as alpaca, come under the first head, and the 
same from rich fabrics with a large and bold design upon 
them (as brocaded velvet) under the second. In gored 
skirts, whether of print or brocade, cut from fabrics where 
there is a pattern, pile, nap, or sheen, one gore is upside 
down and inside out where only two side gores are cut ; 
all can be made right side out if there are four gores (two 
at each side), but then those at one side will still be upside 
down, and where this cannot be admitted, owing to the 
pattern or the way of the cloth, the gores which cannot 
be used in the skirt must be utilised for the bodice and 
sleeves, where they cut to less advantage. It is therefore 
the established rule in dressmaking to plan off or cut out 
the skirt before the bodice. 

It is of extreme practical value to the cutter to have a 
clear idea of how each part of the dress can be cut from 
material of a certain width, how much each part will take, 
and whether cuttings from one part can or cannot be utilised 
in the cutting out of the others. Stock cutters for wholesale 
houses are experts at such planning ; they seem able to cut 
garments from incredibly small quantities of material, for by 
dint of long practice they have learned to lay the patterns 



184 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking. 

on the material to fill every hollow and to utilise every 
scrap of space. Every dressmaker, too, has her own way 
of placing the pattern on the lining to cut correctly, and 
yet from the smallest quantity of material. 

Facility in judging quantities may be gained by culti- 
vating the habit of measuring up the lining, stuff, etc., 
which has been planned out, and making a rough diagram 
showing the width and length, and how each part was 
obtained from the whole, and in a lesser, degree by making 
model " lays " or diagrams. This may be done in the 
following manner : — 

Tapes or rulers should be made to a reduced scale — say 
half an inch to the inch, or a quarter of an inch to the inch ; 
the latter is the best scale for ordinary practice. The tapes 
or rulers can easily be made from strips of sectional paper 
gummed over tape ; the lines already ruled on the sectional 
paper can then be inked and figured, either for the half or 
the quarter-inch scale. 

By this tape or ruler a reduced pattern (bodice and 
sleeves) to an average set of measures should be drafted, the 
bottom edge shaped off to prevailing fashion — as round, 
pointed, box-pleated basque to back, etc. — and the model 
pattern cut out in thin cardboard or cartridge-paper, the 
proper allowance for turnings on the reduced scale being 
made upon it or not, according to the discretion of the 
worker. 

Strips of paper or lining should be cut the width of the 
material they are intended to represent, and as many yards 
of such material allowed as it is calculated that a dress 
will require, width and length both being measured by the 
reduced scale tape or ruler, the scale being the same as that 
of the model bodice pattern. If it is meant for double- 
width stuff it should be folded and creased, and then the 
planning-out should be done upon it, the pieces of the 
model pattern being laid out for the bodice and sleeves and 
the lengths for ihe skirt marked off, gored, and otherwise 



Quantity^ Cost, and Price. 185 

arranged exactly as would be done with a full-sized bodice 
pattern and the real material. 

Different workers prefer different methods of planning 
out. Some open out all linings and fold over to the other 
end, spreading the pattern to fill up spaces and finally 
cutting the lining double ; others place the pattern on the 
lining doubled as it is bought. The latter plan is perhaps 
less confusing, but each has its own advantages ; and as long 
as the pieces are properly placed with regard to the way 
and thread of the material, and with full appreciation of the 
value of economical planning out, every good method has 
its own value. 

The same holds good of the material ; with double cut- 
ting there is less labour and time spent in the actual cutting 
out, and there is no risk of any of the pairs of pieces being 
cut both for one side of the garment, as there always is 
in single cutting, even when the planning has been very 
carefully done. Still, in planning out narrow single-width 
material, especially if the skirt is a gored one, there are little 
spaces that can be utilised if the pieces are laid on singly, 
and for practice in this kind of very close cutting, paper 
with a distinct right and wrong side may be cut double 
to represent the actual pieces of the lining, or pairs of 
models may be made, the back of each piece being marked 
to ensure that no two are laid on for one side of the bodice, 
and then the whole laid out singly on the paper representing 
the material. Lines should be drawn round the model for 
fitting-lines and also for turnings, and the spaces inside the 
outlines lightly shaded in to throw up the shape of each 
piece more clearly from the background. The habit of 
calculating by " lay " is one the most experienced cutter 
cannot afford to despise, and it is of inestimable value 
to the inexperienced. 

If the cutter can readily judge the average quantity 
which bodice, sleeves and skirt will take, her rough mental 
calculation for a dress would run like this : — 



186 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking. 

Plain Gored Skirt and Bodice from Serge, 27 inches Wide, 
Reversible. 

Bodice and full sleeves about 2 \ yards. 

Skirt (four lengths i\ yards long will 
give front breadth, four side gores, 
and one back breadth) „ 5 , 

Hem or facing (five strips, each 7 inches 
deep) „ 1 

Half-yard extra for margin on cut- 
ting „ £ „ 

About ... 9 yards. 

Strips down from front breadth might help out the bodice a 
little if it is not long. 

Or thus : — Calculation of quantity for a fashionable dress 
(1893). — Empire skirt would take three double widths 
about one and a-quarter yards each, including turnings 
and shaping off; pieces from wedges would give facings or 
inside hem for bottom edge, or an extra half-yard would 
give them six inches deep. Bodice and sleeves would take 
about one and a-half yards for an ordinary figure, but more 
for present fashion of full sleeves — say two yards. The 
margin on allowances would give shoulder-frills, vest, 
double-breasted fronts and revers, small zouave fronts, or 
other extra trimmings, as well as facings-up and facings-in 
for those parts of the dress that require it, such as the 
placket, the mouth of pocket, lining of habit backs, etc., 
For a small figure it might also give a flounce or band 
round the skirt, but for a larger one the extra material would 
require extra allowance. 

Bodice, sleeves, and collar, with a margin for variety 
in style — as full front, fancy back, large sleeves or collar, 
etc. — can be cut for average figures from : 

i£ to 2 yards double-width dress stuff. 

3 to 3! yards silk or rich stuffs. 

l\ to 2f single width woollen or cotton. 



Quantity, Cost, and Price. 187 

Average Quantities of Linings are : 
i\ to 2 yards bodice lining, double width (38). 
4^ yards skirt lining, single width (27). 
3| yards skirt lining, double width (38). 

From calculations of quantity we naturally proceed 
to calculations of cost, and here we come to the question 
of the basis on which such a calculation is to be made. 

If the worker has to supply all the finishings beyond the 
outside material, linings and trimmings (as is generally the 
case), the cost of each item (even though trifling in itself, as 
a strip or two of muslin or a few hooks and eyes) must be 
considered, or she would be at a loss when these items 
are repeated in a large nurnber of cases. On the other 
hand, the charge for " sundries " should be kept as low as it 
can, consistently with fashion's demands, or a feeling of dis- 
satisfaction and distrust is created in the mind of the 
customer. Where the worker has only the value of her own 
labour to consider when settling what the cost of making is 
to be, it is simply a case of time and quality of work. 
Where there are workwomen, improvers, and apprentices to 
be paid, each according to the value of her work, and rent 
for city workrooms, etc., to be considered, the manager has 
a more complicated calculation to make, and buying in 
the best markets has to balance the increased working 
expenses. The latter consideration, however, need not 
be entered into in detail here. 

The time used in making a dress varies ; some fashions 
may involve more labour than others, or the length of the 
working-day may differ, but two dresses per week is con- 
sidered fair work for one unaided worker. Some can make 
a dress in a day, but good finish could hardly be expected 
with such rapid work, though a certain speed is correctly 
considered one of its elements. Slow workers seldom set 
in their stitches with the same beauty and regularity as 
quick ones ; it would seem that a certain speed is necessary 
before they can acquire that power, and with it comes a 



1 88 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking. 

lightness of hand which seems to hold the work without 
touching it ; the fresh look of a bodice which has been 
lightly handled is certainly one of the items which both 
employer and worker take into strict account when con- 
sidering finish. 

Good sewing, good pressing, flat seams, well-finished 
ends and corners are expected with good work, and the 
employment of the finest finishings would be useless if the 
work put in did not match them in character. 

Ready-made clothing, which is cut out in bulk and 
made up almost entirely by machine without preliminary 
tacking or such preparation, is quickly got through, and 
can hardly be regarded as skilled labour, or command the 
pay accorded to the latter. Hand-work takes more time, 
and so commands a better price, especially when skill has 
to be brought to bear upon it to produce a satisfactory 
finished effect ; and the fit of the garment has also to be 
adapted to the individual wearer. Better pay is always 
expected for work on costly material, it being justly con- 
sidered to require greater judgment, experience, and skill 
on the part of the worker, and these qualities having (in 
every trade) a distinct monetary value. Quality of work 
(style*, fit, and finish) on materials employed and time used 
are therefore the great price regulators. 

Price of making is a little influenced by the style of 
dress chosen, being generally a little higher for elaborately 
trimmed dresses than for plainer ones. Many dress- 
makers refuse to recognise this, declaring that the plainer 
styles require much more careful making and finishing than 
fancy ones. Dresses of rich material, such as silk, velvet, 
lace, etc., generally command a higher price for making 
than woollens, and these again than cottons, which vary 
in cost of making according to the style chosen, ladies' 

* Good style may be defined as the ability to select from the 
prevailing styles the one most suited to the material to be made up, 
and to the age and.appearance of the wearer. 



Quantity, Cost, and Price. 189 

summer dresses costing nearly as much for making as 
their winter ones, whilst a servant's print gown is usually 
charged at a very low rate indeed. It is unfortunate for 
the average dressmaker that there is no fixed standard of 
price for making in the trade. She cannot say "The 
trade price is ." The pay varies with the neighbour- 
hood, the social position of the customers, and the 
necessities of the worker, a reputation for style and fit 
being no inconsiderable factor in the matter of the charges 
made by a well-established dressmaker, whilst a good worker 
with her connection yet to make may have to work for very 
much lower pay. This, however, is the same in every trade. 
The price paid for a servant's print gown varies from 
$2.00 to $3.50, according to neighbourhood, $4.50 being 
the middle-class average, the latter price commanding 
good work and good finish. 

A fashionably-made wash-dress may vary in price 
from $4.50 to $10.00, according to neighbourhood. $5.50 
is a very fair, middle-class average. Woollen dresses 
range within about the same limits of price, but $7.50 
is about the average, with a proportional increase if 
the disposal of much rich trimming is included in the 
making. 

Dresses of washing silk would come between the 
woollen and silk dress in scale of price. 

Evening dresses, or those of rich material, generally 
command a high price of from $10.00 to $30.00. These 
prices cover labour only, all sundries being charged 
extra. Of course a dressmaker of established reputation 
and with a good connection can command prices con- 
siderably higher than those quoted above, and exclusive 
houses that make for a few special customers only, and 
reserve their designs for them, can almost name their 
own prices. The prices given represent the average 



190 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking. 

labour prices only, without reference to special advantages 
of any kind. 

The quality and price of the linings, finishings, and 
trimmings should be proportioned to the cost of the dress 
material itself, cheaper ones being chosen for dresses of 
poor material than for those of better quality, and the price 
of making regulated in the same way. It would be 
absurd to line a dress made of cheap serge costing, say, 
ninepence the yard double width, with a lining costing 
ninepence the yard too, or to bind all the turnings with 
sarcenet ribbon and finish the front edges with lining 
silk. Cheap silesia or grey Oxford is good enough, 
and such a dress should be finished as inexpensively as 
possible (the turnings overcast and facings of the stuff itself 
used), good inside finishings being as unsuitable as expen- 
sive outside trimmings would be with a dress of this class. 
Some general rules for proportioning the cost of finishings 
to that of the outside material may here be given. 

Average Prices of Dress Materials, etc. — Manufac- 
tured silks for dresses, $1.75 and upwards ; trimming 
silks, $1.25 and upwards ; soft washing silks, 39 cents 
and upwards. Velveteen, though only a cotton fabric, 
can hardly be procured of fair quality under 50 cents 
per yard and upwards. Silk-face velvet averages $2.75 
per yard and upwards. Medium quality double-width 
woollens average 35 cents and upwards. Heavier wide 
width (56 inches), $1.25 and upwards. Single-width, 
from 25 cents upwards. Mixtures, as Henrietta cloth, 
poplin, etc., $1.00 and upwards. Ordinary cottons, 
prints, sateens, ginghams, etc., 5 cents and upwards. 
Finer cottons (either fashionable or delicate fabrics), 
up to 35 cents per yard. Very fine muslins rise con- 
siderably above this. Cotton bodice lining, at \2 x / 2 
cents per yard and upwards. Linen linings have not 
much sale, but retail at 24 cents and upwards. Silk 



Quantity^ Cost, and Price. 191 

lining (silk width), 50 cents and upwards. Cotton 
linings, 5 cents. Alpaca, 25 cents, and glazed skirt 
linings average 7 cents per yard. Linenette, 18 cents 
and upwards. Coloured linens cost more than cotton. 
Silk linings average 50 cents per yard and upwards. 

Low-class bodices should be lined with silesia, the 
fronts, bottom edge of sleeves and bodice, and inside of 
collar faced with narrow strips of the dress stuff on the 
cross, the inside seams stitched down, pinked out, or 
whipped. 

Medium-class, lined with good lining, faced and 
turned up with deep facings Of silk, silk binding bone 
casings, whalebone for boning, the seams overcast or 
bound with narrow silk ribbon. 

High-class, lined with silk ; seams scalloped and 
bound with fine ribbon, finished with fine ribbon or silk ; 
bone casings fine binding ; fine thin whalebone. 

Tailor-made bodices, interlined with fine French 
canvas or firm muslin, and lined with farmers' satin or 
silk, all seams between ; the wadding stitched to the 
lining ; the fronts further stiffened under the button- 
holes with firm linen. 

Washing dresses of any class are faced and turned 
up with the outside material. 

Low-class skirts, lined with common silesia or glazed 
lining, narrow facings on the straight pleated in (some- 
times made of the lining only, instead of the stuff), 
bottom braid machined on with the same ; common 
webbing for the belt ; seams whipped or simply scalloped 
out. 

Medium-class skirts, lined with linenette, sateen, or 
cheap alpaca ; deep shaped facings of outside stuff ; good 
quality belting ; bottom braid doubled and machined 
through or hemmed up by hand ; seams overcast, bound, 
or made between. • 



192 The Elements of Modern Dressmaking. 

High-class skirts, lined with fine alpaca, farmers' 
satin, or silk ; deep facings of the stuff shaped and 
hemmed up by hand ; silk belting ; bottom braid or 
velvet binding run on face and turned over bottom edge, 
and carefully hemmed or slip-stitched up ; seams bound 
or made up to come between. 

Tailor-made skirts, much the same, but linings made 
separately so that seams come between ; pocket and 
placket openings strengthened by strips of linen or 
canvas and pocket dropped between skirt and lining. 

Washing-dress skirt linings should be made separately 
wherever it is impossible to avoid having a lining alto- 
gether. 

A list of the materials generally used in finishing is 
subjoined, those marked by a star being at present out 
of use. Quantities are placed against those that vary 
but little, but such quantities can only be approximate, 
changes of style making a difference here and there that 
must be duly taken into account. 

Inside Finishings for Bodice. — Lining, \\ to 2 yards. 
Wadding, 1 sheet. Baisting cotton. French canvas or firm 
linen for front edges, \ yard. Machine cotton (1 spool) ; 
machine silk (1 spool or less), 4 cents. Ribbon for binding 
seams (bodice and sleeves), 12 to 18 yards. Paris binding or 
galloonf (for bone casings and to go under buttons, to bind in 
sleeves, hangers, etc.) : an average of 2 yards for finishing off 
sleeves, going under fronts and making loops, and 4 yards 
for bone casings may be allowed. Muslin for bottom edges of 
bodice and sleeves, \ yard. Lining silk for bodice finishing, 
\ yard ; or ribbon, 1^ inch wide, 3 yards. Button-hole 
twist, 2 spools. Buttons, an average of 2 dozen. Whalebone 
or substitute, an average of \ yard whalebone for each seam. 

t Paris binding, Prussian binding, flannel-binding, galloon, ferreting, 
etc., are different names for bindings differing so slightly that they may 
practically be counted the same thing, and any one of thern used as 
galloon at the worker's discretion, 



Quantity, Cost, and Price. 193 

Buckram or stiff muslin for collar, §■ yard. Hooks and eyes 
for collar, 2 of each ; for belt, 2 of each ; for fastening skirt to 
bodice, 2 of each. Belting for bodice, f yard. Buckle for 
belt, 1. ^Weights for points of bodice, 2. Shields, 1 pair. 

Inside Finishings for Skirt. — Skirt lining, 3 lengths of 
.double-width or 4 of single (or \\ to 5 yards double or 6 to 7 
single). Horse-hair (hair-cloth), for stiffening the hem, about 
2 yards, but varies with width of skirt. Tape or elastic for 
setting the back gathers, 12 inches. Ribbon or belting for 
waist, f yard. Piping cord for cording waist, § yard. Hooks 
and eyes for fastening belt, 3 of each ; for fastening placket, 1 
of each ; for attaching skirt to bodice, 1 or 2 of each. Bottom 
braid or velvet binding, 4 to 5 yards. *Broad tape for slots, 1 
yard for each slot ; *narrow tape for runners, 1 yard for each 
runner. *Muslin and tape for lining and taping stiffened kilts 
(vary with style). *Steels for setting out the back breadths 
(vary with style). 



THE END. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 




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